Andrejs Osokins and Edgars Ošleja Songs of the Soul and Arias

The virtuoso pianist Andrejs Osokins and the versatile opera singer Edgars Ošleja invite you to

concert program “Songs of the Soul and Arias,” where the intimate lyricism of song will intertwine with

the dramatic power of opera.

The concert program brings together two seemingly different musical worlds - the subtle inner space of the art song and the stage expressiveness of opera, united by a common essence - the human voice as a bearer of emotion and story, speaking both in intimate close-up and dramatic intensity about the soul’s longing, strength, and also loneliness.

The first part of the concert program is devoted to Franz Schubert (1797-1828), one of the foremost representatives of the early Romantic era, distinguished by his astonishing sense of melody and profound emotional expression. Franz Schubert’s songs are like landscapes of the soul - finely nuanced and melodically rich psychological portraits that, through text and melody, reveal the human inner world and its experiences in emotionally concentrated miniatures. In contrast, works by the Latvian composer Emīls Dārziņš (1875-1910), equally melodic in nature, will bring into the concert echoes of Latvian folk song motifs and the ideas of the national awakening.

The second part of the concert will offer audiences arias and duets from 18th- and 19th-century operas, allowing them to experience not only drama, passion, and the tension of fate, but also the intensity of vocal mastery and interpretation. The inner conflicts of Giuseppe Verdi’s heroes, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s psychological subtlety, Charles Gounod’s Romantic splendor, as well as Franz Lehár’s charm will stand in sharp contrast to Schubert’s intimacy, while at the same time revealing the works’ common traits - the human being before their deepest essence.

The concert program is conceived not as a rivalry between songs and arias, but as a conversation in which the two musical worlds complement one another. Those present will be able to witness deep inner conversations transforming into stage passion and drama, allowing them to experience both music’s power to comfort and its power to shake.

The program was created with the support of the cultural space “Ola Foundation” and premiered in its premises

in December 2025.

Edgars Ošleja is a singer whose voice and musical thinking inspire trust. His stage presence is characterized by clear form, inner discipline, and careful attention to musical space. This is singing that does not seek to prove itself, but allows the music to reveal itself.

Since 2015, he has performed at the Latvian National Opera, where he has portrayed Timur in Puccini’s Turandot, the Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as the Pharaoh and Ramfis in Verdi’s Aida and Zaccaria in Nabucco. As a guest artist at the State Opera Prague, he has performed Colline in Puccini’s La Bohème and Banco in Verdi’s Macbeth. In the symphonic repertoire, he has sung the bass solo in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Verdi’s Requiem with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Edgars Ošleja’s artistic interests do not stop at the boundaries of academic music. His collaboration with Raimonds Pauls and the Latvian Radio Big Band reveals his ability to immerse himself in a different musical language. These projects demonstrate the artist’s ability to hold his own convincingly across different genres while maintaining interpretive precision and respect for the musical material.

He graduated from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in 2019, studying academic singing with Roberts Hansons. He has regularly honed his skills in international masterclasses, including in vocal art and stage movement. The artist’s professional growth is also evidenced by significant awards - the Grand Music Award in 2021 as Young Artist of the Year, victories in international competitions, the Richard Wagner Scholarship in Bayreuth, as well as 1st place in the 5th Jāzeps Vītols International Vocal Competition in 2025.

Andrejs Osokins is a world-renowned Latvian pianist, laureate of the most important international piano competitions and the Latvian Grand Music Award, who has performed in legendary European concert halls both in solo recitals and with orchestras under the baton of outstanding conductors. Andrejs Osokins’ concerts are filled with emotion, love, and beautiful piano music; they impress with the musician’s confident sense of various musical styles, charisma, and virtuosity, as well as wonderful interpretations of works and stories about music. The pianist regularly gives masterclasses in Latvia and abroad, is a lecturer at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where he also heads the Piano Department, and is the founder and artistic director of the Osokins Freedom Festival.

In 2024, he founded the “Osokins Foundation,” with whose team he actively carries out various

support actions for Ukraine and events for emerging musicians in Latvia and Ukraine. For his

concert activities and the charity actions carried out in support of Ukraine, he was awarded the Order of the Three Stars at the rank of Officer.