Soprano ILZE GRĒVELE-SKARAINE holds two master's degrees from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where she studied Early Music Singing and Opera Singing (under A. Rūrāne and R. Kandalincevs). She has participated in ERASMUS exchange programs at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (Netherlands) and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, studying in the opera singing department. She has further honed her vocal skills with internationally renowned specialists in early music and opera, such as R. Fleming, I. Milkevičiute, G. Bartina, R. Dams, P. Kooij, M. Chance, J. Feldman, A. Krikščiunaite, K. Norvelis, and L. Kinča.
Ilze has taken part in numerous international masterclasses. As a soloist, she has performed in Estonia, Denmark, Italy, Russia, France, the Netherlands, and Lithuania. She has collaborated with conductors A. Lakstīgala, M. Chance, P. Heyghen, M. Sirmais and the State Choir Latvija, K. Putniņš, S. Kļava and the Latvian Radio Choir, the professional orchestra Rīga, the Dutch professional Bach Chamber Choir, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, among others.
She has developed a close collaboration with Baroque music performers from the Baltic States, creating concert programs. Ilze has earned audience acclaim performing music of various genres alongside Ē. Millere, the pianist of Latvian National Opera, as well as giving premieres with organists I. Birģelis, A. Reinis, I. Reinis, and others, performing in churches across Latvia.
Ilze is the Grand Prix winner of the international opera singers’ competition A. Scarlatti Youth Competition 2024 (Lithuania), a finalist of the Belvedere Singing Competition 2022, a laureate of the Alīda Vāne Young Opera Singers’ Competition 2019, and the winner of the Inese Galante Talents competition in 2018.
In 2019, she made her debut in the role of Barbara in the world premiere of R. Dubra’s opera The Suiti Saga. That same year, she was nominated for the Great Music Award. In 2023, she gave a brilliant performance as Esmeralda in the concert staging of Z. Liepiņš’s opera The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
She has also gained significant musical experience performing in various ensembles. For several years, Ilze was a soloist of the early music ensemble Le Voci delle Grazie (Netherlands), part of the EEEMerging program residency.
For several years now, Ilze has been one of Latvia’s leading Baroque music soloists and is currently actively engaged in performing works by contemporary composers and chamber music in various musical formations.
Photo: Svetlana Vjakse