Ēriks Ešenvalds

Eriks Esenvalds has gained fans in Western Europe and North America as well as in the Baltic countries with choral music and music in other genres that draws on an eclectic group of styles for specific expressive ends. Esenvalds' instinct for writing for voices came partly from a nine-year stint as a member of the Latvian State Choir, from 2002 to 2011. From 2011 to 2013 he served as Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, in England, where his work has been especially popular. In addition to inclusion on choral compilations, Esenvalds has been featured on six albums devoted to his work alone. His plans for 2018 included a new multimedia symphony using volcanoes as its subject matter. ~ James Manheim