The Latvian tenor, Janis Sprogis, was deported as a child with his family to Sibiria in 1949. He set his foot back in his native Latvia only when he was about 10 years old. His family moved not far from the small town of Kuldiga, where he started his musical education. After that he studied in the Ventspils middle school for music (oboe and vocal) and after that - Riga conservatory.
Janis Sprogis was a highly regarded soloist of the Latvian National Opera till the mid-1990's, and frequently sang in such musical genres as requiems, odes and so on. Since his childhood he liked songs and light music and in the mid-1990's decided to leave opera and start recording lighter repertoire.
Today Janis Sprogis is well known as a soloist all over Europe, with a large number of solo albums. His recordings include opera arias, solo songs and Latvian folk songs, as well as popular songs written by Latvian composers, including some by Sproģis himself, with various instruments as accompaniment. |