A Sound Seeking Peace

A Master’s exam that turned into a concert with a voice and an idea — and ended up with a «Kilograms Kultūras» award nomination

There are exams that students «play just to get through,» and there are exams that become an event for the musicians themselves. Kristīne Cīrule’s Master’s concert at JVLMA wasn’t just a final test — it was a mapping of her thoughts, feelings, and experiences from recent years. The program «Domu kontinenti» (Continents of Thought) was created at a time when the world wavered between unrest and silence, when one needed to find a place for breath and meaning. That is precisely why Kristīne’s concert turned into more than an academic formality — and exactly why it ended up among the nominees for the «Kilograms Kultūras» (A Kilogram of Culture) award.

In this conversation, Kristīne talks about the interruption of her studies in Amsterdam, returning home, the presence of nature, composing in silence, collaborating with poet Vaida Vovere and a nine-piece ensemble, and the purpose of educational institutions for the modern musician.

Usually, people create concert programs like this, focusing more on the fact that it is an exam — work you prepare to show you’ve learned something, your final piece. The primary goal is to pass the exam. It seems to me that in your case, your goal wasn’t «to finish the academy with this concert,» but rather «to make a concert with which one could finish the academy.» I think that’s how it was for you, right?

Yes, in a way. It would be unnatural for me to think of this concert merely as an exam. Of course, it was an exam, and maybe that’s why there was an extra level of stress — stepping onto the stage feels different than when it is «just a concert.» I don’t know, it probably depends on the person, but I’m not the biggest fan of exams in general. So I try to mentally bypass that exam-feeling and «status», so the music and the event itself don’t turn into just a test.

I was also fortunate — it was clear early on that it would take place at VEF. Antra Dreģe was very accommodating and helped a lot with the organization. Initially, I had a completely different program, but somehow it didn’t quite work out, and in the end, I arrived at this original music idea.

I have a perhaps slightly strange question for you: why did you enroll in a Master’s program at all?

It felt like a good time. I had started my Master’s in Amsterdam, but Covid hit, and I had to finish the first year online. I started studying before the pandemic, but when I returned to Riga in April, I finished the last few months remotely. Then in August, I had to decide — go back and finish the second year or not. I had lost my job, so I had nothing to live on in Amsterdam. I had no savings, no money, and I had to pay for both studies and an apartment. I had lost the apartment too, because I lived in a cheap place where renovations started, so I didn’t even have a place to stay. In the end, I decided to stay in Latvia.

And somehow, I didn’t feel the pull to go back. I liked the city very much, but the school itself was just too much for me. As an introverted Latvian, I find too many people, too many parties, and constant socializing. Also, part of the program was still remote, which raises the question: What’s the point of going back if everything is happening on Zoom anyway?

They didn’t return to in-person learning immediately?

Not immediately. For a while that year, everything stayed online — it was that «active Covid year» when regulations were constantly shifting back and forth. In Latvia, too, as far as I remember, I taught online for a long time. It was that kind of time… So, I didn’t finish Amsterdam. Three years passed, some time was freed up, and the desire to return to school emerged. There was also curiosity — what is the Music Academy actually like?

I had never studied at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. I was simply curious about what it would be like. My mom has worked there for over 20 years. I’ve been walking in and out of there since childhood. The teachers are familiar, but the people in that environment — not really. The environment is different; I was in a different bubble myself.

At the Academy, I got to know the Bachelor students, the people in that scene. A Master’s degree is proper — time moves on, and if not now, when? I’m not planning to move abroad right now, so it’s better to study in Latvia. So, there were many reasons.

Tell us about the concert program itself. What is it about? How was it created? How did you decide to do an original program?

The first thought was actually something else. I had an idea to make a program of my father’s compositions — arranging his songs and piano pieces for voices and orchestra. I suspect that if it hadn’t been for this first idea, I might not have arrived at what was eventually created. But working with an orchestra proved very difficult — both to coordinate and to implement. Eventually, I realized organizing it wasn’t realistic. I didn’t feel like diving into another composer’s work either. So two options remained — take someone else’s music or write my own. And I had the feeling I just had to write it myself.

Various ideas and thoughts had also accumulated over these five years. Many relevant themes that make you look at life from the outside — war, the environment, nature protection, the desire to leave everything and hide in the countryside, to live through this time differently, to change the daily routine entirely. It seems everyone lives in a «constant rush,» but for me, everything has started to slow down a bit — in a good way. I really enjoy the fact that it’s calmer. Others like the city bustle, but I feel that for many, this environment creates problems. My program is a kind of counter-reaction to what’s happening around us. Many of these themes are in the songs — each song represents one theme more deeply. This is a good moment to mention the tracklist, themes, and arrangers/lyricists. My biggest helper in shaping the songs was Edgars Cīrulis, who helped dress my ideas for a nine-person ensemble.

Domu kontinenti / Continents of Thought

Set your thoughts / Iestādi savas domas (music by Kristīne Cīrule, lyrics by Vaida Vovere, arrangement by Edgars Cīrulis)
On alarm / Modinātāja trauksmē (music by Kristīne Cīrule, lyrics by Vaida Vovere, arrangement by Edgars Cīrulis)
If Sprouts / Ja cerības asni (music by Edgars Cīrulis, lyrics by Vaida Vovere)
Want to live / Grib dzīvot (music and lyrics by Kristīne Cīrule)
Let them / Ļauj viņiem (lyrics by Vaida Vovere & Kristīne Cīrule, arrangement by Edgars Cīrulis)
In the future greenhouse / Nākotnes siltumnīcā (Kristīne Cīrule, arrangement by Edgars Cīrulis)

And how did the collaboration with poet Vaida Vovere come about?

Initially, I didn’t feel I could write all the lyrics myself. I’m not a poet, and still, it is a Master’s program. I can write words, but I don’t always manage to express myself as vividly as I’d like, so I reached out to Vaida. I described three or four ideas, and she wrote the lyrics for three and a half pieces — meaning three songs and one «intro.» We edited them together afterward.

It was an exciting process. Quite untypical too — she describes my feelings with her words and emotions, with her personal perspective. It turns into a game of catch: we tried to find a middle ground between my experience and hers. In the end, she wrote the words for three pieces and the intro, and I wrote for two and a half — two pieces and one «half-piece,» let’s say.

I also had the idea of arranging the song titles so that, together, they form one sentence. In the end, this sentence turned out quite complex, but the idea is clear. If you write all the song titles in sequence, they form one long sentence. In a way, it binds everything together.

The sentence is: «Set your thoughts on alarm, if sprouts want to live, let them, in the future greenhouse.» The main point of this sentence is not to let everything drift, but to look toward the future and seek the opportunity to live in harmony with oneself and nature. Overall, the program was solemn for me. Maybe it’s not what I usually do, but this time it turned out quite heavy, especially in its message.

But you have a sense of satisfaction that you performed it, right?

Absolutely. I only regret that it happened just once.

You don’t plan to repeat it?

I would like to, but the ensemble is vast, and three musicians came from abroad. That makes everything more complicated. Of course, one could try to find substitutes, but I invited those people specifically because they can’t really be replaced.

Tell us more about the lineup.

Double bassist from Germany, Michael Bohn, is my Golden Green duo partner. He flew in as well because we already had two other concerts scheduled for those dates. I realized I could include him in this program as well, and I was pleased about that. That’s my most stable project — we’ve been playing together for about seven or eight years, several small tours a year. Karlīna Priedēna and Līva Dumpe — I’ve sung with them in the group Dream Teller, so I knew I wanted to sing specifically with them. The others are also musicians, very dear to me.

Edgars Cīrulis, pianist, arranger, and my most significant support in creating the program; Kaspars Kurdeko, an excellent drummer, musician, and person; Kārlis Auziņš, this time not only on saxophones but also bass clarinet — that was a new collaboration in this specific form. I think we first started playing together last year. Edgars had a project called «Magical Realism,» and we started playing together after that. I had the idea that I needed not only a saxophone but also a bass clarinet — it’s pretty rare in Latvia. Also, my dear Svens Vilsons on guitar and the virtuoso flutist Alise Golovacka, who creatively helped with the visual design of the program’s texts.

How did the creation of the new compositions look in practice?

It was winter, snowing. I went to the countryside near Alūksne because I knew — in Riga, everything is too fast; I can’t write anything. Edgars is composing at home; there’s noise at the school too, the walls are thin — it just wasn’t working, so I went to my aunt’s place in the country, and she kindly welcomed me. I had a five-day «camp.» I took a piano, instruments, pedals — everything. I sat there every day, trying to write.

The main idea was the presence of nature — how it helps you move through what’s happening in the world. A return to nature. I tried to return to it myself. The funny thing was that I thought it would come much easier. But in reality, it took about two days just to «switch» from the city to total silence. There is really nothing around there, which is terrific in its own way. After the first two days, thoughts began to appear, along with something to develop further. The main ideas started exactly there. It was very cool — I’d like to do it again.

Silence can also be very loud — our bodies are loud. Blood circulation, breath… Are you planning to release this program?

I really wanted to record it this October. We had already applied for a grant in Germany — the plan was to record the program in a studio in Bremen, where Michael works. We applied for co-financing, but it wasn’t granted this time. It would be an excellent place for a recording, but perhaps it will happen in the future.

The goal for the future is definitely there — this program must be recorded. There are still a few things to polish and change compositionally. The pieces turned out quite long, too.

Do you think — if you hadn’t studied for your Master’s — something like this would have been created at all?

An excellent question. Honestly, I can’t answer you. Something would definitely be created, but whether it would be this specific work, I don’t know. Very hard to say. It certainly wouldn’t have been made on the VEF stage. This platform was essential — the collaboration with Indriķis Veitners and Antra Dreģe, as well as with the VEF Culture Palace.

In your experience, what is the significance of educational institutions? Not just the Music Academy specifically, but an academic institution as a structure — what can you receive as a musician? Because in reality, you receive a diploma. If you don’t intend to work in a school, then formally, that Master’s isn’t «needed.» A diploma itself doesn’t launch a career — you get paid for what you know, not for a piece of paper.

That is an eternally important topic — how much it’s needed and for whom. Often, people really don’t need it, but social pressure makes them think they «should», and then you go and do it, perhaps even «wasting» a spot at the school — but there are definitely pluses. The environment — that is a huge plus. The sense of community, the space, the people, the teachers. Also, how lucky you get with the people around you. In my case, there were quite a few standard classes specifically with jazz students; it was more individual work in my specialty classes with Inga Bērziņa.

One of the classes Jurģis and I had together was music therapy — that was very interesting; it opened up new ideas about what music can be in daily life and how it affects human psychology and emotions. But the main plus in any case is the people and the environment. In my case, at least there was the opportunity to meet Bachelor students, go to a big band in the first year, and see what’s happening.

Overall, my time as a Master’s student was unexpectedly varied. The main benefits, unexpected for me, were: classes with Inga and specifically writing the Master’s thesis. Not exactly «learning to sing,» but writing, analyzing, and organizing thoughts. Inga is a true professional — she helped a lot with the creation of my first academic and musical work; I can always rely on her opinion and advice.

Okay, last question. What was your reaction when you found out you were nominated for the «Kilograms Kultūras» award with your concert-exam?

I had a feeling of: «This is a concert that could be nominated?» Even though I personally perceived it as a concert, in my head it was still an exam — because for the others that evening, it was an exam, a three-part exam. So there was this hybrid feeling — as if an exam, but the third part, which is and yet doesn’t want to be an exam, is nominated for an award.

I was a bit shocked but thrilled — mainly because it’s recognition for everyone involved. A considerable amount of work went into the preparation process — searching for ideas and meaning, rehearsals, poetry, arrangements, logistics. In this case, I wanted to say something specific and personal. It’s cool that I managed to say something.