Pianist

Dzintra Erliha

1981
Dzintra Erliha is a Latvian pianist celebrated for her refined interpretations and dedication to Latvian composers. She has performed widely across Europe, contributing to the visibility of Latvia’s cultural heritage. In addition to her concert work, Erliha is actively involved in music education and research. In 2013, she earned a Doctor of Arts degree for her dissertation about Lūcija Garūta’s chamber music, underlining her profound scholarly engagement with the composer’s legacy.
dzintra-erliha-foto
“Lūcija Garūta’s music is like a mirror of the soul, revealing the deepest emotions and experiences of the Latvian people.”
Since childhood, Dzintra Erliha visited Lūcija Garūta’s apartment in Bergs Bazaar, where her personal connection with the composer’s world began to form. Garūta’s music holds a prominent place in her repertoire and has been performed by her in concerts around the world. As a member of the Lūcija Garūta Foundation, Erliha has released three albums dedicated to Garūta’s music, including Kvēlot, liesmot, sadegt (To Glow, To Burn, To Perish): Vocal and Instrumental Chamber Music, in which she interprets Garūta’s emotionally rich and expressive works.

Her deep artistic and academic interest in Garūta’s legacy culminated in 2013 with the defense of her doctoral dissertation in the arts – “Lūcija Garūta’s Chamber Music: Biographical Context, Style and Interpretation”. This research represents a significant contribution in revealing the development of Garūta’s musical language and stylistic features, as well as the personal, historical, and cultural contexts that shaped her creative path.

On February 4, 2023, Dzintra Erliha gave a solo concert at the renowned Cortot Concert Hall in Paris, France, dedicated to composer Lūcija Garūta. On February 9, 2024, she successfully made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall in New York, USA. The pianist has released 10 music albums, many of which are devoted to Latvian chamber music. Since 2024, she has been living in New York, where she teaches piano at the New York Conservatory and actively continues to perform piano works by Latvian composers in concert.

External resources

Dzintra Erliha aicina Digitālais koncerts un nākotnes plāni

Solo Concert dedicated to Garūta’s 120th anniversary

LSM.LV - Kvēlot. Liesmot. Sadegt. - Dainas Pormales piemiņas koncerts

VIDEO: Komponistes Lūcijas Garūtas 120. jubilejas gada ieskaņai skanēs koncerts Parīzē

VIDEO: Dzintra Erliha un Ivars Bezprozvanovs koncertā "Veltījums Lūcijai Garūtai"

A concert of the New York Conservatory of Music took place at the Polish Consulate

Calendar

December 24, 2025

Piano Recital

Dzintra Erliha

Lutheran Church of New York – Salas Church

New York, Melville, USA

November 16, 2025

Piano Recital

Dzintra Erliha

Washington Latvian Lutheran Church Hall

Washington, USA

November 9, 2025

Piano Music

Dzintra Erliha

Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Minneapolis

Minneapolis, USA

November 10, 2025

Piano Recital

Dzintra Erliha

The DiMenna Center for Classical Music

New York, USA

Records

Other Colours: Latvian Composers for Flute

2013-2016, SKANI, Latvia
Dzintra Erliha • Ilona Meija
This album takes listeners on a journey—from delicate miniatures to grand compositions, from classical masters to contemporary voices. It invites us to drift in a canoe, soar with migrating birds over Latvia, and travel south on a modern aircraft. “When you start playing, everything becomes clear—what is in your soul and mind,” said Ilona May. This music lets us hear that clarity.

Lūcija Garūta | Kvēlot, liesmot, sadegt!

2010
Dzintra Erliha
Lūcija Garūta composed over 200 solo songs and significant chamber works, including the unique Four Etudes for Steinway long-tone pedal (1933/1956). This album features chamber miniatures performed by Baiba Berķe, Dzintra Erliha, Ilona Meija, Tatjana Ostrovska, Ivars Bezprozvanovs, Aivars Krancmanis, Krišjānis Norvelis, and Ingus Pētersons.

Zvaigznes skatiens / Regard de l’etoile. CD

2008
Dzintra Erliha
This album by pianist Dzintra Erliha includes several compositions by Lūcija Garūta, showcasing her mastery in piano music. Among them are her expressive preludes in various keys, revealing a deep sense of harmony and emotional depth. The inclusion of “Etude Legend” and “Olden Timers” further highlights Garūta’s versatility, blending Latvian musical traditions with influences from European classical styles. This selection allows listeners to experience the richness of Garūta’s piano repertoire, from the lyrical to the virtuosic.