Jānis Semjonovs

 
Soloists / Jānis Semjonovs

J_ünis Semjonovs

Jānis SEMJONOVS is the LNSO’s principal bassoon since 2009. First bassoon of the Sinfonietta Rīga chamber orchestra since 2006. Nominated for Latvia’s Grand Music Award 2011 For Outstanding Work in an Ensemble. Laureate of international competitions.

Active member of the Sinfonietta Rīga woodwind quintet and band of solo performers. Performs a wide variety of repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary.

Lecturer at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (JVLMA) since 2010. Former teacher at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School in Riga.

Jānis frequently collaborates with Latvian composers who write works specifically for him, including Sapnis (The Dream) for bassoon and chamber orchestra by Kristaps Pētersons, as well as compositions by Gundega Šmite, Anitra Tumševica, Marina Vidmonte, Kārlis Rērihs, Mārtiņš Viļums, and others.

Jānis has performed in the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra chamber ensemble Camerata RCO, chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica, chamber orchestra Moscow Virtuosi, the Riga Festival Orchestra, the Riga Chamber Musicians, Berlin University of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the JVLMA Symphony Orchestra, chamber orchestra Konsonanse, the New Riga Chamber Orchestra, orchestra of the JVLMA opera studio Figaro, European Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, German-Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra, Baltic Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Nordic Symphony Orchestra.

Jānis Semjonovs studied clarinet playing at Salacgrīva Music School, Riga Jāzeps Mediņš Music School, and the JVLMA. His pedagogues were Pēteris Melnis, Uldis Plēpis, and Ģirts Pāže. Jānis switched from clarinet to bassoon in 2003 and graduated from the class of Andris Arnicāns (bachelor’s degree) and Dzintars Jurgelaitis (master’s degree). Additionally, Jānis spent four years studying at the Berlin University of the Arts with Eckart Hübner.