The new season of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) Chamber Music Series opens on Thursday, 15 October at 7 p.m. at the Riga Congress Hall with “MASTER AND MASTER”, a programme dedicated to two major figures of British music: Frank Bridge and his celebrated pupil Benjamin Britten. LNSO musicians – oboist Egils Upatnieks, violinist Andrejs Jegorovs, violist Pēteris Trasuns and cellist Emma Aleksandra Bandeniece – will perform alongside pianist Elīna Bērtiņa, a longstanding musical collaborator of the LNSO, in a series of chamber ensembles. The concert will be hosted by musicologist Liene Jakovļeva, a presenter on Latvian Radio 3 Klasika and LTV1’s Cultural News.

“The programme has been conceived to allow listeners to encounter the distinctive musical language of both Frank Bridge and Benjamin Britten, while at the same time tracing the continuity between the musical eras they represent. Bridge’s music combines the breadth of Late Romanticism with the harmonic richness of Impressionism, while his pupil Benjamin Britten emerges as an exceptional musical storyteller, a master of 20th-century stylistic synthesis and a composer with a remarkably concise and incisive musical voice. Both composers are deeply human, their music imbued with drama and lyricism; both can be seen as the conscience of their time,” says pianist Elīna Bērtiņa.

The concert will feature Phantasy quartets by both composers, alongside works for various instrumental combinations. Britten’s music will be represented by his Suite for Violin and Piano, Temporal Variations for oboe and piano, and Elegy for solo viola. Bridge’s works on the programme include Allegro appassionato for viola and piano and Melody for cello and piano.

The programme brings together four LNSO musicians:

Egils Upatnieks is a member of the acclaimed Carion quintet, principal oboe of the LNSO and a member of the Latvian National Opera Orchestra. He is also a lecturer at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music.

Andrejs Jegorovs is concertmaster of Davinspiro Camerata, the chamber orchestra founded by Daniils Bulajevs, and principal second violin of the LNSO. A graduate of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, he has furthered his studies with internationally renowned violinists.

Pēteris Trasuns has served as deputy principal viola of the LNSO since 2018 and currently holds the position of acting principal viola. He is also principal viola of Sinfonia concertante and a member of the piano quartet Quadra. Trasuns teaches at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and regularly participates in premieres of new works.

Emma Aleksandra Bandeniece has been a member of the LNSO cello section since autumn 2022. From 2016 to 2019, she was a member of Kremerata Baltica. She studied at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music with Diana Ozoliņa and at the Royal College of Music in London with Professor Melissa Phelps, where she was also awarded an ABRSM scholarship. Bandeniece has worked with and furthered her studies with numerous leading cellists, including Sol Gabetta, Gautier Capuçon and Mischa Maisky.

Pianist Elīna Bērtiņa has become a close musical collaborator of the LNSO, appearing both in its chamber music series and in symphonic programmes. She performs as a soloist and in collaboration with other leading musicians. Her orchestral collaborations include Latvia’s professional orchestras, the Olsztyn Philharmonic Orchestra and the German String Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has developed successful projects with many of Latvia’s outstanding musicians.

The LNSO 2026/2027 Chamber Music Series comprises four concerts at the Riga Congress Hall: 15 October – “Master and Master”; 18 February – “Apkalna. Organ. Chamber Music”; 24 March – “A Touch of the Century”; and 6 May – “To the New World”. Tickets can be purchased for individual concerts or as part of the LNSO Chamber Music Subscription 2026/2027, which offers a more advantageous option and is available until 15 October.

The LNSO Chamber Music Series is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.