Enrich the soul with a song. Lifetime contribution of the studio “Knīpas un knauķi” to music / Article / LSM.lv

Enrich the soul with a song. Lifelong contribution to music by the studio “Knīpas un knauķi”Baiba Kušķe00:00 / 05:44

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Jānis Lūsēns’ musical “Īkstīte” can be highlighted as one of the many beautiful projects of “Knīpu un knauķu”, in which “Knīpas un knauķi” collaborated with the actors of Daile Theater and played on the stage of Daile Theater. Over the years, they have collaborated with a number of well-known composers and each brought their own musical color to the studio. Many popular singers – Igo, Renārs Kaupers, Aija Andrejeva, Daumants Kalniņš and others – have also performed with the young singers, a musical performance with Juris Kulakov’s music “Listen” and cycles “Strange World” with Jānis Lūsēns’ music and “Earth Songs” with Nika Matveyev compositions.

In total, during 50 years of operation, “Knīpas un knauķi” has sung hundreds of concerts in Latvia and abroad, recorded more than 30 song albums, and participated in various competitions with very good success. In total, several thousand children have acquired the ability to sing in the studio.

Knowing all the achievements, the story of the origin of the studio seems a bit unusual, namely, the creation was almost or accidental. A children’s dance ensemble operated in the Riga Teachers’ House in the 1970s, and its leader Baiba Stein wanted to stage some dances accompanied by children’s singing for a concert in Kiev. She invited singing teacher Irēni Veinbergs to help, who also did it, but after the concert she was sorry to part with the little singers. And so the studio quickly grew out of a tiny core.

At the time, there was also the current Latvian Radio Choir singer Ieva Ezeriete, who in conversation with Latvian Radio program “Kultūras Rondo” remembered how this legend once became: “It was a long time ago when I was still dancing in the Teachers’ House and a dance group had to go to Kiev. At that time, one dance was also staged for three sisters, three girls, called “We were three sisters”, and there was a need to sing. Then Teacher Weinberg came to us for a rehearsal, took all six of us by the hand, tested how we could sing, and then chose three girls to sing and three girls to dance.

That’s how the singing began. In fact, “Knīpas un knauķi” and teacher Weinberg determined my further fate. Sounds very serious, but it was. That’s how I sing today. “

Now 27 years since the founder of the vocal studio Irēne Veinberga has been in eternity, but her work has always been a strong continuation, currently the studio is led by Edīte Putniņa, Jonita Štoma and Sanita Sējāne.

For two years now, Edīte Putniņa has also been working on a book dedicated to “Knīpa and Knauķi”, which promises a thick and rich in photos.

She explains: “I have really put in two years of hard work to try to bring the whole era together. Both testimonies of former singers and historical stories. Because there will be an insight into the history of “Bumps and Snouts”. Everyone will be able to choose whether to read more texts or view more pictures. It is, in my opinion, a phenomenon of “Bumps and Snatches” that out of such an essentially educational group with a singing orientation, “Sneakers and Snookers” seem to be the only ones that have been able to maintain such a diverse, so capacious, so meaningful operation. The titles of the sections of the book already confirm this, because we have sections – “Knips and Knuckles” and Song Festival “,” Knobs and Knuckles “and concert tours”, “Knobs and Knuckles” and various groups “, and of course, “Knips and Knuckles” and recordings “.

The 50th anniversary year for the studio was planned to be full of events, but due to Covid-19, both concert tours and, most likely, participation in the Song Festival and the big anniversary concert are missing. All this time communication with children takes place on the “Zoom” platform, which can not in any way outweigh face-to-face meetings, admits the head of the studio Sanita Sējāne.

She emphasizes: “This time of online classes here is the most difficult for all three of us, because it is really difficult for me to do it here in absentia, because I am a person who needs an energy exchange in person. But every time you join these Zoom classes, you can still feel the joy of the children, the special radiance that comes from them, even through the screen, and they can recharge you, improve your well-being and mood in five minutes.

Since I think everything will happen and “Bumps and snouts” will only grow and develop, I look to the future with a bright view. “

On the evening of March 16, at the ceremony “Knīpas un knauķi”, the annual award of the annual music recording “Golden Microphone” will receive an award for a lifetime contribution to the development of Latvian music. Edīte Putniņa’s book on the history of the studio could be published in the beginning of June.

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