What started out as a charity concert performance by five students of Rīga Dome Choir School, has now grown into Framest – an internationally acclaimed and award-winning vocal group with a vast repertoire ranging from classic and jazz to pop and other music genres in original a cappella arrangement. Representing Riga as the European Cultural Capital, touring Latvia as part of the remake of the singing revolution classic rock opera Lāčplēsis, performing in China and working with the Latvian legend, Raimonds Pauls, are just some of the most recent successes of Framest. The current lineup comprises two founding members, Jānis and Mikus, as well as later recruits Beāte, with the group since 2010, and Rūta and Roberts, who joined in 2013.
History

Framest is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015. The a cappella group was established by five young people, most of them students at the Rīga Dome Choir School, who gathered together for a performance at a charity concert. After brilliant participation in various musical performances, Framest confirmed its mastery at interpreting jazz in 2007, when it went on a Latvian tour together with pianist and composer Harijs Bašs. These were the ensemble's first major concerts with jazz professionals, soon to be followed by programmes titled Golden Jazz Melodies, Party in the Ice Castle, and others. In its numerous concerts, Framest has performed not just classical standards of jazz, but also surprising and original arrangements of music by Latvian composers.

Framest has taken part in numerous musicals and festivals and has also performed abroad, though it won its greatest recognition in 2012, when it took part in the New Wave competition for young performers. Each year the group works hard on learning new songs, improving voices and becoming more and more excited about new ideas, some of them rooted in the history of popular music in Latvia. Since the very beginning, the group has included its founder, the active composer Jānis Ķirsis (baritone), as well as Mikus Abaroniņš (tenor). Beāte Zviedre (soprano) joined the group in 2010, Rūta Dūduma (alto) and Roberts Memmēns (bass) - in 2013.

In 2014, the group represented Rīga as the European Cultural Capital at concerts in Finland and Sweden. In May, Framest won 3rd prize in an a cappella festival and competition in Leipzig, and it went to a concert tour as a Latvian representative in the First Baltic Music Festival in China, performing in 5 cities.

Year 2015 started with a participation in the national Eurovision selection, where the song „Ziemā” was selected for the semi-final. The newest studio album “Amber Jazz”, released end of May 2015, was recorded with popular jazz musicians and the most popular Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls.

Awards

3rd prize in an a cappella festival and competition in Leipzig, 2014
Ward Swingle Award SILVER in classical music category in Vokal.Total in Graz,
2015 Ward Swingle Award GOLD in jazz music category in Vokal.Total in Graz, 2015

Repertory

Raimonds Pauls (Kūko, kūko dzeguzīte, Lai tik līst, Mēs tikāmies martā, Sens tik sens, Tā es tevi mīlēšu u.c.) | Jānis Ķirsis (Ziemā, Music, Diviem cilvēkiem, Vēja Māte / Ūdens sauca, akmens vilka) u.c. | Krists Auznieks (Saules vējš, ) | Duke Ellington (It Don't Mean A Thing)| Stevie Wonder (I Wish) | A.Žilinskis (Svētki ledus pilī) etc.

Records

Svētki ledus pilī, Framest Music, 2012
Amber Jazz, Dzintaru koncertzāle, 2015

Year of foundation
2005
Genres
Pop/Rock etc, Classical, Contemporary, Jazz
Instrument types
Voice
Artistic director
Jānis Ķirsis
Country
Latvia
City
Rīga
zip code
LV-1050
Email(s)
Street Address
Maskavas iela 4, k.1
Mobile phone(s)
0037125259213 (manager Dita) | 0037127452132 (artistic director Jānis)