Head conductor

Rihards Zariņš

Rihards Zarins started his musical journey back in 1998 at the Riga Cathedral Choir School, where he explored various skills early on – piano, singing, and conducting. Fast forward to 2013, and he continued to master his skills at the Jāzeps Vītols Academy of Music in Latvia, under the tutelage of Māris Sirmais.

With a diverse musical background, Rihards has led various choirs, leaving his mark across Latvia and beyond. He served as the choirmaster for the youth choir in Balsis, conducted the mixed choir Spārnos, and even worked with the Grammar School of Nordic Languages in Riga. Since 2015, he’s been the creative force behind the Latvian-Finnish mixed choir Ziemeļmeita in Helsinki, Finland, under the baton of conductor Ilmārs Millers.

Beyond his conducting roles, Rihards has been an integral part of the organizing committees for choir festivals and song festivals in Riga Mežaparks, Latvia, since 2013. His dedication shows as he contributes to events like the Nordic and Baltic Folk Song Festival and the World Choir Olympics.

Education-wise, Rihards has a rich background, including studies at the Riga Cathedral Choir School, Jāzeps Mediņš Riga Music High School, and the Latvian Academy of Music. His journey even took him to the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn.

Currently, Rihards is actively shaping our choir’s musical narrative as the Chief Conductor, a role he has held with passion and dedication since 2020, while simultaneously working as the Chief Conductor of the Estonian-Latvian mixed choir “Ziemeļu Balsis” and the mixed choir “In Corpore.” Additionally, he has been an active singer in the Estonian National Male Choir since 2014. His leadership, teamwork, and self-motivation make him the guiding force for many choirs.

Photograph- Jaan Krivel

Assistant conductor

Aleksandra Bekušev

Aleksandra Bekušev started her studies at G.Otsa Music School. There, she completed preliminary studies in Merike Toro’s class and continued her studies in Andrus Siimon’s class. In 2020, Aleksandra started her studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

In addition to choir conducting studies, Aleksandra participates and sings in various project choirs such as Voces Tallinn, Collegium Musicales and Avis Amini. Aleksandra has participated in many conferences such as Choir EXPO in Lisbon in 2022 and PeVoC14 in 2022. In addition to the TalTech Chamber Choir, Aleksandra is the head conductor of the TTK University of Applied Sciences Chamber Choir from 2021.

Photograph- Darja Horoshavtseva