User:Karlisjosts/Jānis Šipkēvics Jr.

Jānis Šipkēvics (born 27 August 1982) is a Latvian musician – singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, lyricist, and producer. He is a member of the group Instrumenti, the founder of the vocal group Cosmos and musical projects Nepāriet and Dora. His solo project is known as Shipsea.

Childhood and Education
Jānis Šipkēvics, born in Riga, began his musical journey at Emīls Dārziņš Music School in 1989 and later graduated from the Riga Cathedral Choir School in 2000. As a member of the Riga Cathedral Choir, he toured extensively, showcasing his vocal talent.

Besides his musical pursuits, Jānis had a passion for basketball and snooker during his school years.

His musical influences included classic rock and pop artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Prince, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton, Kate Bush, Michael Jackson and others.

In 2000, Jānis enrolled in the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, specializing in Choral Conducting.

From 2001 to 2003, he worked as a conductor for the Valmiera Women's Choir Jumara.

Alongside his studies, Jānis developed a keen interest in photography, working as a sports photographer for local papers and contributing to ornithology journals.

Personal life
In 2018, Jānis married a music and movie producer Zane Bērziņa.

They have two children – a son Kristaps (born 2019), and a daughter Jūna (born 2021).

Cosmos
While at the Riga Cathedral Choir School, Jānis, along with his schoolmates Andris Sējāns, Juris Lisenko, and Jānis Ozols, founded the vocal a cappella group Cosmos. In their second year, Jānis Strazdiņš joined the group.

Soon after their debut performance, Cosmos recorded their first compositions at the Radio SWH studio, initially focusing on classical music, performing works by composers such as Pēteris Vasks, Gavin Bryars, György Ligeti among others.

Encouraged by the Latvian musician Ainars Mielavs, Cosmos soon shifted to popular music arrangements, producing their debut single "Tu saviļņoji mani" (a cover of a song by Ainars Mielavs) and the subsequent album Cosmos in 2003. Extensive touring in Latvia ensued, highlighting Andris Sējāns’ exceptional arranging skills. In 2004, Cosmos triumphed in the International Young Composer masterclasses.

Invited by the legendary Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls, Cosmos competed in and won the international competition New Wave in 2004, after which Reinis Sējāns officially joined as the sixth member.

After that, Cosmos embarked on international touring, performed at international festivals, and participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Over the years, they released multiple albums, securing two Grand Music Awards (2007, 2008) and six Latvian Music Recording Awards.

Instrumenti
While still actively involved with Cosmos, Jānis and Reinis began venturing beyond a cappella, and started exploring new creative paths and outlets, incorporating instruments into their song-writing. They sent their first recordings to local radio stations under fictional names, posing as a band from Iceland, Germany, or the Netherlands. Donning panda masks in their early live shows, they laid the foundation for the birth of the band Instrumenti, with their debut concert in Riga in December 2010.

Through mutual connections, Instrumenti connected with Björk’s producer Valgeir Sigurðsson and the Whale Watching Tour collaborators. This collaboration led to the opportunity to record at the Greenhouse Studios in Iceland, resulting in Instrumenti's debut album, Tru, released in 2011 and later certified Gold in Latvia in 2012.

Subsequent albums followed – Procrastination (2013), Iekams (2014), and a soundtrack for the movie Double Strangers in 2015.

After a short hiatus, Instrumenti resumed their activity in 2017, releasing their fourth album Atkala, winning two Latvian Music Recording Awards. Soon came the follow-up, Cilvēks (2019). Both albums featured artwork by the Latvian artist Džemma Skulme.

In 2018, Instrumenti headlined shows at Sigulda Castle ruins and in 2019 at the Daugava Stadium in Riga. After a pandemic-induced break, they returned in late summer 2021 with three shows at the Mežaparks Great Bandstand.

Currently, Instrumenti is actively working on their sixth studio album, to be released in 2024.

Dora
In 2015, Latvian director Māra Ķimele asked Jānis to compose original music for the New Riga Theatre's play ''Aspazija. Personīgi''. Jānis, joined by his Instrumenti bandmate Gatis Zaķis, accepted the offer. As they crafted music for the play, new and unrelated musical ideas emerged, leading to the birth of the duo Dora. They released their debut album Two Sides in late 2016.

During a visit to Venice, Jānis got acquainted with the Icelandic artist Berglind Jóna Hlynsdóttir. In 2016, Dora collaborated with Hlynsdóttir on the creation of moving sculptures and sound installations titled Stitching and Mending and The Changing Room, showcased in Reykjavík, Oslo, and Vilnius.

Since 2022, Dora has been working on a new album featuring music with poetry by William Butler Yeats.

Shipsea
In 2013, Jānis launched his solo project under the moniker Shipsea. While Jānis performs solo as Shipsea, he is most often accompanied by a dynamic and ever-evolving lineup of friends and like-minded musicians.

In 2015, Shipsea released a debut four-song EP, followed by approximately forty solo concerts at K. K. von Stricka villa in Riga. Jānis continued performing in various Latvian cities and participated in the Tallinn Music Week showcase festival. Shipsea also appeared at the Far From Moscow festival in Los Angeles, USA, and supported Arcade Fire at the Mežaparks Green Theater in 2018.

Shipsea's first LP Apgaismo mani was released in June 2022, featuring eleven compositions with lyrics by Jānis and the Latvian poet Marts Pujāts. The album earned two Latvian Music Recording Awards, recognizing it as the Best Pop Music Album and the Best Album of the Year.

Individual work
Jānis alongside his colleagues Rolands Pēterkops and Reinis Semēvics co-founded Tīrkultūra – a radio project dedicated to experimental and innovative music.

In 2015, Jānis collaborated with the Latvian producer and composer Andris Indāns to create the composition Kompjūtergalva, recorded by the Riga Cathedral Choir and men’s choir Gaudeamus as part of the artwork Armpit by Katrīna Neiburga and Andris Eglītis, exhibited at the Venice Biennale.

Jānis sang solo in Scott McAllister's Mercury on the Moon, which opened the annual festival Windstream in 2016.

In 2017, Jānis was invited by Katarina Henryson of The Real Group, to have his voice featured in Marina Abramovich’s retrospective The Cleaner, exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. This later led to the creation of the choral improvisation ensemble The Core Singers, consisting of Jānis, Katarina Henryson, Morten Winters, Lindha Kallerdahl, Jussi Chydenius and Soila Sariola. Since then, the group has given masterclasses and performed concerts elsewhere in Scandinavia.

In 2018, Jānis participated in the sculptor Liene Mackus's large-scale sculpture exhibition, collaborating with Katarina Henryson, the choir Balsis, and the Voice Improvisation Ensemble from Sweden. Together, they created a project titled Landscapes of Change: The Construction of Voices and Space.

In 2019, Jānis participated in the concert program Origin, created by Iveta Apkalna and the Latgale Embassy GORS. The musicians collaboratively interpreted works by Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, J.S. Bach, David Lang, and showcased original music by Jānis.

In 2020, Krists Auznieks crafted the chamber opera Time Present, featuring Sinfonietta Riga Orchestra and vocals by Jānis. The opera premiered in 2021 as part of the festival Pārmija, eventually earning Jānis the Spēlmaņu nakts prize for his contribution.

Composing
In 2016, Jānis composed the motet Ubi Caritas for the International Sacred Music Festival. He also performed the piece in the festival on piano alongside the State Choir Latvija, kokle virtuoso Laima Jansone, and the bass player Joel Illerhag.

The Latvian Centenary celebrations in 2018 opened with the multimedia performance Patterns of Light at the National Library of Latvia, featuring music by Jānis.

For a project organised by the State Choir in honour of the Centenary, Jānis composed the song Pievilkšanās spēks.

Jānis composed Letters from the Beginning, three miniatures for kokles ensemble, dedicated to both his grandmothers, and the artist Džemma Skulme.

In April 2019, Jānis, alongside musicians Kaspars Kurdeko and Matīss Čudars, composed the music for the ballet Tell Me (No) Tales, earning the Dance Award 2019-2020 for Best Ballet Production or Event. The music was recorded and released in 2021.

Jānis is currently crafting a tetralogy Tukšumi for the string quartet Quattro Baltica, with the first part, "Kaut no kurienes," premiering in 2019.

Music for theatre and film
In 2016, Jānis composed music for ''Aspazija. Personīgi.'' at the New Riga Theater.

Valmiera Summer Festival in the same year showcased Tālavas Taurētājs, a costume and sound poem that Jānis co-created with MAREUNROL'S, director Elmārs Seņkovs, and actor Gundars Āboliņš. The accompanying album was released in November 2021.

In 2019, Jānis co-wrote the title theme for the film Nothing Will Stop Us, directed by Andris Gauja.

In 2021, Jānis penned the soundtrack for the documentary Against the Current, which premiered in 2023.

In 2020, Jānis composed for Zemdegas at the Dailes Theatre, directed by Dmitrijs Petrenko.

Collaborating with Juris Strenga in 2021, they interpreted Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, composing six songs in the original language.

In 2022, Jānis created music for the poetry performance Eternal Cloud, directed by Māra Ķimele, featuring poetry by Linards Tauns.