Iveta Apkalna is one of the world’s leading concert organists, internationally acclaimed for her virtuosity, artistic imagination, and pioneering role in bringing the organ to the forefront of concert life. Since 2017, she has served as the titular organist of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, becoming the first musician to hold such a position at the renowned concert hall.
Following her breakthrough with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado, Apkalna has performed with many of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. She has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Antonio Pappano, Paavo Järvi, Joana Mallwitz, Kent Nagano, Thomas Hengelbrock, and the late Mariss Jansons.
A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Apkalna has premiered numerous works by leading composers including Jörg Widmann, Thierry Escaich, Philip Glass, Pēteris Vasks, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Péter Eötvös, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. She is equally celebrated for her interpretations of the great organ repertoire, from Bach to the present day, and has released more than fifteen critically acclaimed recordings. In 2005, she became the first organist ever to receive the ECHO Klassik Award as Instrumentalist of the Year.
Recent highlights include performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, portrait artist residencies at the Cologne Philharmonie, recital tours across Asia, and appearances at the Lucerne, Rheingau, Helsinki, and Bratislava festivals. During the 2025/26 season, she performs at the Tonhalle Zürich, Mozarteum Salzburg, Heidelberg Spring Festival, Southbank Centre in London, and inaugurates the new Grenzing organ at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
A graduate of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, Iveta Apkalna has received numerous international distinctions, including the Grand Latvian Music Award, the Order of the Three Stars, and the title of Latvia’s Cultural Ambassador, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to musical life.