by Violeta Dinescu as published in the IAWM Journal, June 1997, pp. 23.
I recently attended a conference on German culture and music in the eastern part of Europe, and was impressed with the talented and well-trained performers, composers and musicologists from the former Soviet bloc- the "forgotten" countries that are just starting to open to the opportunities in the outside world. One of the musicians, Ilona Brege, was so outstanding that I am providing a "mini portrait" of her to introduce this composer, pianist and musicologist to IAWM members.
She was born in 1959 in Riga, Lettland (Latvia), and studied at the local music academy. By the age of 24 she was a soloist with the Lettland Philharmonic Orchestra and made numerous tours of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Korea, Canada and elsewhere.
Her very large repertoire includes traditional music as well as contemporary works, and she has been awarded numerous prizes for her interpretations as a soloist and chamber musician.
In 1990 she began to study the musical history of Riga and has focused on the music presented at the German Theater when it flourished between 1782 and 1863.
In addition to her work as a musicologist, she is active as a composer and writes in genres ranging from chamber music to religious works to orchestral and concert pieces. Her opera, Das Lebenswasser (The Waterlife), based on a theater work by Mara Zalite, was performed with great public and critical success in September 1996 in Riga.
She is also vice-president of the Union of Composers of Lettland, a very prestigious position.