The Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna is recognised as one of the world’s leading instrumentalists. Her playing combines virtuosity, deep musicality and an extraordinary understanding of style.

Since her concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Claudio Abbado in 2008, Iveta Apkalna has performed with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich as well as the most important conductors such as Marek Janowski, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Antonio Pappano, Andris Nelsons, Franz Welser-Möst, Joanna Mallwitz, Paavo Järvi and the late Mariss Jansons. She also performs regularly in the most important concert halls in Europe, Asia and North America as well as at renowned music festivals.

As the titular organist of the Klais organ in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Iveta Apkalna opened the new concert hall in January 2017.

Iveta Apkalna is known for broadening the horizons of organ music with her personality. This is also demonstrated by the significant awards she has received. In 2005 she was the first organist ever to receive an ECHO Klassik award in the »Instrumentalist of the Year« category, she was honoured four times with the Grand Latvian Music Award and was named Latvia’s cultural ambassador. In the year of Latvia’s 100th anniversary, Iveta Apkalna received the Three Star Order of Latvia, the country’s highest state honour.

She also works with important composers such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jörg Widmann, Naji Hakim, Pēteris Vasks and Philip Glass. Péter Eötvös also dedicated various works to her.

She has already released 15 albums in CD and DVD format and is the initiator and artistic director of the international organ music festival ORGANismi, which has been held in her hometown of Rēzekne since 2015. Iveta Apkalna lives with her family in Berlin and Riga.