The Art&Valt musical duo began their musical collaboration 10 years ago at the Emīls Dārziņš Music High School in Riga when two new musicians – Valters Pūce and Artūrs Cingujevs – felt they were on the same musical wavelength.

The cellist Valters Pūce is a graduate of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and has also studied at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Academy of Music and Theatre in Leipzig and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Valters has been involved in different music projects, has collaborated with The Shin Georgian ethno-jazz band and the Marana ensemble, and has performed as a soloist. As well as playing the cello, he also composes original pieces for the DaGamba cello band.

Artūrs Cingujevs’ won his first piano competition in France when he was nine years old. In 2010, he graduated from the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory and was awarded the Gold Medal. Artūrs is currently continuing his education by undertaking postgraduate studies at the Conservatory as well as at the Bern University of the Arts.

The concert will also feature a special guest – the Belgian singer Lara Bellerose. She has previously collaborated with Valters Pūce in recording the song Balāde (Qui Est Le Fou) which was nominated for the Latvian Music Records Award in 2012.