Aivis Greters

Principal Guest Conductor: Gothenburg Opera (2024/25)

Latvian conductor Aivis Greters was appointed Principal Guest Conductor at Gothenburg Opera from the 2024/25 season, directly following two years at the House as Kapellmeister. In this new role, he will lead performances of Carmen and Iolanta as well as the Gala concert on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the Opera’s new house. Other high points of the current season include his debuts with Wiener Symphoniker and Rudolf Buchbinder, with the Mozarteum Orchestra, Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, Gothenburg Symphony and Malmö Symfoniorkester. Aivis Greters will also return to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and lead Riga Sinfonietta in a concert at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

In recent seasons, Aivis Greters attracted attention through performances in a wide range of repertoire at Gothenburg Opera and a string of important debuts with orchestras such as the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. He enjoys regular working relationships with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Deeply rooted in the rich musical tradition of his home country, Greters debuted as symphonic conductor with the three major orchestras, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Riga Sinfonietta and Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. His debut with the Latvian National Opera occurred in 2022 and a return visit is planned for this season. Outside Latvia, Aivis Greters was awarded the second prize of the 2021 Deutscher Dirigentenpreis and conducted WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and Gürzenich Orchester in this context.

Aivis Greters (c) Valters Pelns — Aivis Greters © Valters Pelns

Greters started his musical career in 2018 as Artistic Director and conductor of the Latvian Youth Choir Kamēr. Under his direction, the choir won the Grand Prix of the 50^th Tolosa Choral Contest in 2018, European Grand Prix 2019 in Arezzo and became the first choir worldwide to have won three European Grand Prix for Choral Singing titles. In early 2021 Greters received The Grand Music Award of Latvia in the Young Artist of the Year 2020 and the Artistic Bravery and Innovation during COVID-19 categories for projects with the choir at Cēsis Music Festival.

Aivis Greters attended master classes with conductors such as Jörg-Peter Weigle, Steven Layton, Zbigniew Graca, Lutz Köhler, Ekhart Wycik and Alexander Polianichko. Most recently he was a participant of the Järvi Conducting Academy at Pärnu Music Festival where he was chosen to also conduct three festival performances, and the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich Masterclass with Paavo Järvi where he was awarded the Prize of the Jury.