World-renowned violinist Gidon Kremer was born in the city of Riga on the Baltic Sea in Latvia, one of the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and in 1997 celebrated his 50th birthday by founding the chamber orchestra, Kremerata Baltica. The orchestra brings together the top young musical talent of the Baltic States. Acting as both soloist and artistic director, Kremer is at the helm of what has grown into one of Europe’s paramount chamber orchestras.
Through his work with the ensemble, Kremer shares his own wealth of musical experience with emerging Baltic musicians, while applying his own unique energy to the promotion of musical and cultural life in the Baltic States, that has flourished in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse, as well as the strengthening of the Baltic people’s national and ethnic identity.
The 25 young members, with an average age of 27, enter the ensemble after passing a stringent audition. Half of the current members have been with the group since it was founded. Kremerata Baltica is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, with the members receiving a regular salary. The Ministries of Culture of Lithuania and Estonia join Latvia to provide financial support totaling about 375,000 euros a year.
In addition to their concerts in the Baltic States, the orchestra completes, every year, five world tours comprising of 60 concerts, as well as appearing at numerous music festivals. They performed in Japan in 2004, 2007 and 2008. In November this year, they will visit Japan again, bringing new programs to Nagoya, Tokyo and Osaka.
Kremer himself performs with the ensemble at their concerts around the world and is also joined at times by renowned conductors and soloists including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Simon Rattle, Mischa Maisky and Yo Yo Ma.
Kremer says, "I emphasize one very simple thing: not to become a routine orchestra. I always encourage members to take risks, to have adventures, to enlarge the repertoire and to make interpretation instead of imitation."
In 2002, Kremerata Baltica won the Grammy Award for its recording After Mozart. In 2006, they played all 5 Mozart violin concertos in one evening in Salzburg, and its live performance was released in July 2009.
Kremer says, "With this grant, we will be able to accomplish one or two more projects on our schedule, and these are adventurous projects in the spirit of Kremerata Baltica."