Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music

Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (Jāzepa Vītola Latvijas Mūzikas akadēmija), formerly the Riga Conservatory, is a higher education establishment of music at 1 Barona Street, Riga, Latvia. The junior institute is the Emīls Dārziņš Music School.

History
Latvian Conservatory of Music was founded in 1919 by the Latvian composer Jāzeps Vītols, who also became the first director of the Latvian National Opera. He remained director until 1944, excepting 1935–1937 when the director was his choral assistant Pauls Jozuus. There were junior and senior courses that covered around 9 to 10 academic years. Beginning in 1940, the structure of the conservatory changed: the lower junior courses were transferred in secondary education system and later became a base for Jāzeps Mediņš's and Emīls Dārziņš's secondary schools of music. And there formed up courses of higher school in the conservatory. Beginning 1 October 1951 LPSR Institute of Theater was joined to the conservatory, reorganizing it to a faculty of theater with departments of acting and directing. In May 1958 it was renamed to the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian conservatory. In January 1964 conservatory had been renamed to J.Vītols Latvian institute of Art, but in July 1964 institute was renamed back to J.Vītols Latvian conservatory.

Departments
The Academy is divided into the following departments:


 * Piano Department
 * Department of Accompanists
 * Department of Compulsory Piano
 * Department of Chamber Ensemble and Piano Accompaniment
 * Department of String Instruments
 * Department of Wind Instruments
 * Department of Jazz Music
 * Department of Orchestra Conducting
 * Department of Choir Conducting
 * Department of Vocal Music
 * Department of Early Music
 * Department of Choreography
 * Department of Music Education
 * Department of Instrument Performance Teaching
 * Department of Music Technology
 * Department of Composition
 * Department of Musicology
 * Department of Humanities
 * Department of Science and Research
 * Department of Self-Financed Studies
 * Department of Doctoral Studies

Notable teaching staff
The following have served as Academy Rectors:
 * Jāzeps Vītols (1919—1935)
 * Pauls Jozuus (1935—1937)
 * Alfrēds Kalniņš (1944–1948)
 * Jēkabs Mediņš (1948–1950)
 * Jānis Ozoliņš (1951–1977)
 * Imants Kokars (1977–1990)
 * Juris Karlsons (1990–2007)
 * Artis Sīmanis (2007–)

Lūcija Garūta taught composition and music theory from 1940 and was elected to the professorship in 1960.

During the republic, the State Conservatory had only one Jewish professor of music, Adolf Metz, head of the violin department. Many Jewish students emigrated to Lithuania.

Notable alumni

 * Misha Alexandrovich, cantor
 * Iveta Apkalna, pianist and organist
 * Volfgangs Dārziņš
 * Sarah Feigin
 * Elīna Garanča, mezzo-soprano
 * Inese Galante, soprano
 * Jānis Ivanovs, composer


 * Arvīds Jansons
 * Olga Jegunova, pianist
 * Oleg Kagan, violinist
 * Aivars Kalējs, organist and composer
 * Gidon Kremer, violinist
 * Kristīne Opolais, soprano
 * Raimonds Pauls


 * Uģis Prauliņš
 * Uldis Pūcītis, actor
 * Alfred Strombergs, conductor, vocal coach, and pianist
 * Aleksandrs Viļumanis, conductor
 * Imants Zemzaris
 * Ēriks Ešenvalds, composer