The tradition of the International Latvian Young Musicians' Masterclasses began within the Latvian diaspora in Canada. From 1985 to 1990, three music camps were held at the renowned and professional Mount Orford Arts Centre in the province of Quebec, organized by the Latvian Youth Song Festival Council in Montreal. The initiator of the idea for the Music Camp was community activist and council chairman Mārtiņš Štauvers.

 

Mārtiņš Štauvers conceived the idea of organizing a Music Camp in 1982 during the 4th Latvian Youth Song Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. He was also the originator of the Latvian Youth Song Festival concept, and his wife, Ilga Štauvere, served as the festival's chief administrator. The music sector of the first three Youth Song Festivals was led by conductor Andrejs Jansons (1975, 1977, 1979), while composer Dace Aperāne (née Štauvere) directed the music sector for the next three festivals (1982, 1985, 1987).

 

The program of the 4th Youth Song Festival had significantly expanded, including not only young choirs and folk dancers but also a Latvian Youth Orchestra with instrumentalists from North America and Europe, as well as a Latvian Youth Chamber Choir and many young Latvian composers and choral conductors. Mārtiņš Štauvers believed it would be valuable for these and other young Latvian talents to gather for several days before the upcoming 5th Youth Song Festival in 1985 in Montreal, not only to prepare for the festival program but also to meet and learn from prominent Latvian music masters of the time.

 

In the summer of 1983, Mārtiņš and Ilga Štauvers received the prestigious J. H. Moore Award for Excellence and a $5,000 grant from Canada's well-known Catelli company in recognition of their efforts in organizing the Latvian Youth Song Festivals in Canada and the USA. They decided to use this as "seed money" for the first Young Musicians' Camp at the Mount Orford Arts Centre. Composer and professor Tālivaldis Ķeniņš supported the idea of organizing the first Music Camp and wrote a recommendation letter to the administration of the Mount Orford Arts Centre, which approved the camp and concert program.

 

The first Music Camp at Mount Orford took place before the 5th Latvian Youth Song Festival in 1985, from August 23 to 30. Conducted by Daira Cilne, the camp hosted 85 participants from North America and Europe. Among the faculty were notable Latvian music lecturers and masterclass leaders. Young musicians rehearsed an extensive orchestral and choral program, attended lectures, participated in masterclasses, and performed in concerts. The camp's artistic director, composer Dace Aperāne, shaped its structure and content.

 

The goals of the Music Camp were: to provide participants with opportunities to enhance their musical education with outstanding faculty; to gain knowledge of Latvian music; to establish dialogue on musical topics; to inspire further musical engagement and contribute to Latvian cultural creativity; and to foster connections among participants and instructors. This would lay a strong foundation for the continuation of the Music Camp tradition. - M. Štauvers (1984)

 

In 1987, before the 6th Youth Song Festival, the 2nd Music Camp took place in Sherbrooke, Quebec, from August 23 to September 3. It featured an impressive number of participants and instructors, again led by Daira Cilne, with the artistic program developed by Dace Aperāne. The Latvian Youth Orchestra and the festival chamber choir continued to perform. The 3rd Music Camp was held in 1990 from June 17 to 27 at Mount Orford Arts Centre. Several distinguished musicians from Latvia participated, including musicologist Ingrīda Zemzare, flutist Dita Krenberga, composers Arturs Maskats and Juris Kulakovs, and two young cellists from the Latvian Academy of Music – Inga Ozola (formerly Sproģe) and Inese Zvejniece (formerly Staļģe). This Music Camp was led by singer and choral conductor Pauls Berkolds, with Dace Aperāne as the artistic director. The idea that a future Music Camp could take place in Latvia emerged during this third camp.

 

Dace Aperāne recalls: "The guest lecturers from Latvia told me that similar camps and masterclasses in various musical fields did not exist in Latvia at that time. They asked my parents, Mārtiņš and Ilga Štauvers, to consider organizing such camps in Latvia. When Latvia regained its independence in 1991, my parents and I began exploring the possibility of organizing a camp in a suitable location in Latvia."

 

The Music Camp tradition in Canada found continuity in Latvia with the 1st Latvian Young Musicians' Camp, held in Jaungulbene in 1994. It is noteworthy that composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš served as an advisor to artistic director Dace Aperāne for both the first and second Music Camps in 1996, held at the Ogre Music School. His recommendation letter to the Latvian Ministry of Culture's School Center regarding the high educational value of the Music Camps played a crucial role in securing financial support for the first camp.

 

"This initiative must be supported and encouraged by all possible means. Its value is undeniable, and for the younger generation, all its stimulating factors will mark significant contributions to the development of Latvian musical life." - T. Ķeniņš (1994)

 

Latvian organist Dr. Ingrida Gutberga, who was a lecturer at the 3rd Music Camp at Mount Orford, played a major role in the 1st Latvian Young Musicians' Camp and continued her involvement in subsequent camps and masterclasses up to the 10th International Latvian Young Musicians' Masterclasses in Sigulda, Latvia. She served as the camp/masterclass director and organ masterclass instructor. Over the years, until approximately 2010, when the 9th International Latvian Young Musicians' Masterclasses took place at the Sigulda Arts School "Baltais Flīģelis," and even afterward, at least a few musicians connected to the Latvian Youth Song Festivals or the Music Camps in Canada were always present as masterclass instructors or participants. These included Anita Kuprisa, Arturs Ozoliņš, Andrejs Jansons, Juris Kulakovs, Pauls Berkolds, Imants Mežaraups, Rasma Lielmane, Arturs Maskats, Laila Saliņa, Andrejs Martens, Lilija Zobens, Sandra Mogensena, Gunta Plostniece, Sandra Zeidenberga, Ingrīda Zemzare, Dace Aperāne, and even the original initiator of the Music Camp idea, Mārtiņš Štauvers, who, starting with the 2nd Music Camp/Masterclasses in Latvia, published a newsletter for the masterclasses. This responsibility was later taken over by the current editor, Maija Avota.

 

Dace Aperāne reflects: "I believe it is safe to say that the young generation of musicians who participated in the Youth Song Festivals and Latvian Music Camps in Canada became the custodians and continuers of the Song Festival tradition and Latvian musical heritage. It has been wonderful to witness that in Latvia, many young Latvian musicians who participated in the Music Camps/International Masterclasses have become dedicated contributors to the Song Festival tradition and Latvian music in the 21st century and are now leading the International Latvian Young Musicians' Masterclasses themselves!"