Cello: all ages through professional level

Juris is a magna cum laude graduate from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels from which he holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Music.

Juris began studying music with Arimans Strauss in Kuldiga, later graduating with excellence from Music High School in Ventspils, Latvia. In 2012, he was awarded 2nd prize at the K. Davidov international cello competition. Juris also performed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017 at the winners' concert of the Grand Prize Virtuoso competition.

He has performed in over a dozen international festivals and masterclasses in Belgium, Netherlands, Latvia, Bulgaria, France, and Switzerland. Numerous times at festival ‘Jong Talent’, ‘Rencontres musicales Internationales d’Enghien’, Tibor Varga Academy in Sion, and Autumn Academy of La Loingtaine. Notable masters include Natalia Gutman, Stefan Popov, Gary Hoffman, and Francois Guye.

With orchestras, Juris has performed cello concertos by J.Haydn, A.Jurjans, and C.Saint-Seans. He has appeared as guest artist in Ventspils Chamber Music Days and given recitals with the outstanding Japanese pianist Katsura Mizumoto.

Alongside solo and chamber music repertoire, Juris has studied contemporary compositions, including works by W.Rihm, S.Reich, and M.Gordon. He has also developed his own projects with a focus on music by P.Glass and P.Vasks and artwork by Thomas Corbisier, and video collaborations with Anton Vodenitcharov.

Most recently, Juris has developed partnerships with the American pianist Andrew Wright and YES Camerata.

Juris is also an academically accomplished law student. In 2019, he was awarded a law degree with distinction from the University of Edinburgh, UK. He is also a Merit Scholar at the George Washington University where he is currently pursuing a Master of Laws degree in Intellectual Property.