On March 13, 2021, the winners of the Grand Music Prize 2020 were announced at a solemn ceremony at the Latvian National Opera. It was broadcast live on Latvian Television Channel 1 and Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika”.
Composer Imants Kalniņš and conductor Aleksandrs Viļumanis were praised in the category “For a lifetime contribution”.
The winner of the “Concert of the Year” category was a concert by Elīna Garanča and pianist Malkolm Martino, organized by Liepāja Concert Hall “Lielais dzintars” on October 10, 2020.
Pianist and composer Raimonds Pauls and pianist Agnese Egliņa received the Grand Music Award 2020 for “Outstanding Performance throughout the Year”.
“For outstanding work in the ensemble” a silver statuette fell into the hands of trumpet player Jānis Poriešs.
The winner of the category “New Work of the Year” was Pēteris Vasks Sixth String Quartet, which was premiered by the string quartet “Artemis” on October 2 in Liepāja Concert Hall “Lielais dzintars” and on October 3 in Dzintari Concert Hall.
The winner of the category “Young Artist of the Year” is conductor Aivis Greters.
Singer Aleksandrs Antonenko and pianist Reinis Zariņš received the Grand Music Award 2020 for their outstanding performance in the closing concert of the Jurmala Festival and Richard Wagner on August 4 at the Dzintari Concert Hall.
In the category “For creative, courageous and innovative artistic activity in the conditions of the Covid-19 crisis”, the award was given to a musically performative adventure “While on the River”, which was organized by the Cēsis Art Festival on the bank of the Gauja on July 25.
Maestro Raimonds Pauls scored the most points in the “Public Sympathy” vote, which took place in the leading news media Delfi. Conductor Kaspars Ādamsons, the winner of the 2014 Audience Award, presented the composer with the “Sphere of Excellence” and the traditional cake created by the sculptor Gatas Erdmanis.
The Grand Music Award (LMB) is the highest Latvian state award in music. LMB organizes VSIA “Latvijas Koncerti” in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.
In 1993, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, at the initiative of the then Minister of Culture Raimonds Pauls, decided to annually honor the most outstanding achievements in the life of our country’s music with a special award. The high prestige of LMB both in the society and in the music community is ensured by the work of a respectable jury, the members of which attend concerts throughout the year and meet monthly in meetings. At the beginning of January, the jury nominates the previous year’s LMB nominees, which will be announced at a special press conference of the Ministry of Culture, and only before the LMB presentation event itself will the jury vote on the winners.
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