Ugis Praulinš

Uģis Prauliņš was born in Latvia. As a singer of the Riga Cathedral Boys Choir he was exposed to the music of Bach as well as Beethoven and Wagner at an early age and at the same time developed an affinity to the Latin language. As a teenager his interest shifted to the genre of rock music, notably German Krautrock. After completing his studies in composition and piano at the Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, he became a member of the folk/progressive rock band Vecās Mājas. This laid the foundation for the first version of Odi et Amo, which was premiered by the Riga Cathedral Boys Choir in 1999. „Concept albums, and not individual songs, have always fascinated me. Odi et Amo was an opportunity. A year earlier, in 1998, I had released Pagānu Gadagrāmata, an Ambient/Folk album. However, my main interest as a composer is choral music.“

Uģis Prauliņš received a Grammy nomination in the category Best Contemporary Composition with The Nightingale, a composition for recorder and 20-voice choir, which was recorded in 2010 with the Danish National Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Stephen Layton and performed by Michala Petri.