Elmars Rudzitis and Arnis Smitins

Conductor / Leader

Elmars Rudzitis was born in Riga. He studied Academic saxophone play and his professors were Artis Simanis and Ainars Sablovskis, as well, he had studied percussion play and his professors were Vigo Racevskis and Edgars Saksons. He is a graduate of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. In 1989 he started his musical career in rock group Linga, where he played saxophone and keyboard, but in 2007 he quitted the group because he focused on his pedagogical work in Music school, and also at Riga district Youth symphonic orchestra, where he was working as the concert master of wind and percussion instrument section. Since 2008 Elmars Rudzitis is working at Siguldas school of Art “Baltais Flīģelis” as Saxophone teacher and a head of the wind and percussion instrument section. He conducts the Sigulda Youth Wind Orchestra “Silversound” (Sudrabskaņa), which is one of the best student orchestras in Latvia. Arnis Smitins works at the Sigulda art school "Baltais Flīģelis", where he teaches metal instruments - althorn, trumpet and euphonium, and also conducts an orchestra. He and his pupils regularly participate in both local and international competitions. Smitins also leads the Sigulda big band (jazz group), with which they play music in Sigulda, Latvia and international concerts and festivals. They have participated in festivals that were held in Tartu, Freiburg. Smitins and his jazz band like to share their musical experience and make new friends outside of Latvia as well.