Born: 1951 - Riga (?), Latvia

The Latvian organist and composer, Aivars Kalējs, studied organ with Professor Nikolajs Vanadzins (1977) and composition with Professor Adolfs Skulte (1974) at the Music College in Latvia.

Aivars Kalējs organist at the New St. Gertrud Church and the Cathedral in Riga. As internationally recognized and sought-after concert organist, he has participated so far in more than 17 international organ festivals in Belgium, Italy, Germany, Denmark, the USA, Estonia and other European countries. Concert tours have led him also to Japan (2001). He is permanent organist of the Boys Choir of the Riga Cathedral as well as the Latvian Radio Choir. So far he has recorded six solo CDs and participated in additional 15 CD recordings, among them together with the Boys Choir of the Riga Cathedral, the Latvian Radio Choir, with the choirs Ave Sol, Sacrum, Latvia, Kamer, with the singers Inessa Galante, R. Harnes (USA), K. Stobeus (Sweden) as well as the flutist I. Urbane. As a composer he writes not only works for organ, but also for various combinations. As an author he writes articles about organ music history for music encyclopedias such as MGG and for other periodicals.

Source: Marius Popp Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (April 2004)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2006)

Use of Chorale Melodies in his works

Title

Chorale Melody

Year

Toccata über de Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr, for organ (after J. S. Bach)

Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr

1994-2000 ?

Links to other Sites

Aivars Kalejs (Marius Popp) [German]

Bibliography