# Jānis Šipkēvics

Jānis Šipkēvics (born 27 August 1982) is a Latvian musician – singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, lyricist, and producer. He is a member of the group Instrumenti, the founder of the vocal group Cosmos and musical projects Nepariet and Dora. His solo project is known as Shipsea.

## Early life and education

Jānis Šipkēvics was born in Riga, Latvia. He began his musical education at the Emils Darzinš Music School in 1989 and graduated from the Riga Cathedral Choir School in 2000. As a member of the Riga Cathedral Choir, he toured internationally, showcasing his vocal talent. His musical influences included classic rock and pop artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Prince, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Michael Jackson.
In 2000, Šipkēvics enrolled at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, specializing in Choral Conducting. From 2001 to 2005 he worked as a conductor and developed a keen interest in photography, working as a sports photographer for local papers and contributing to ornithology journals.
In 2023, Šipkēvics enrolled at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm to pursue a Master’s degree in Music Production. He also served as a lecturer at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen.

## Career
### Cosmos

While at the Riga Cathedral Choir School, along with his schoolmates Andris Sējāns, Juris Lisenko, and Jānis Ozols, founded the vocal a cappella group Cosmos. In their second year, Jānis Strazdiņš joined the group. Soon after their debut performance, Cosmos recorded their first compositions at the Radio SWH studio, initially focusing on classical music - compositions by Peteris Vasks, Gyorgi Ligeti and Gavin Bryars.
Encouraged by the Latvian musician Ainars Mielavs, Cosmos soon shifted to popular music arrangements, producing their debut single "Tu saviļņoji mani" (a cover of Ainars Mielavs' song) and the subsequent album "Cosmos" in 2003.
Invited by the legendary Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls, Cosmos competed in and won the international contest New Wave in 2004, after which Reinis Sējāns officially joined as the sixth member. After that, Cosmos began international touring, performed at international festivals, and participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Over the years, they released multiple albums, securing two Grand Music Awards (2007, 2008) and six Latvian Music Recording Awards. Cosmos has shared the stage with renowned artists like Bobby McFerrin, The Real Group, and The New York Voices, among others.

### Instrumenti

While still actively involved with Cosmos, Jānis and Reinis began venturing beyond a cappella, and started exploring new creative paths and outlets, incorporating instruments into their songwriting. They sent their first recordings to local radio stations under fictional names, posing as a band from Iceland, Germany, or the Netherlands. Donning panda masks in their early live shows, they laid the foundation for the birth of the band Instrumenti, with their debut concert in Riga in December 2010.
Through mutual connections, Instrumenti connected with Björk’s producer Valgeir Sigurðsson and the Whale Watching Tour collaborators. This collaboration led to the opportunity to record at the Greenhouse Studios in Iceland, resulting in Instrumenti's debut album, "Tru", released in 2011 and later certified Gold in Latvia. Just a year after releasing their debut album, Instrumenti held their biggest concert to date at Arena Riga.
Subsequent albums followed – "Procrastination" (2013), "Iekams" (2014), and a soundtrack for the movie "Double Strangers" in 2015.
After a short hiatus, Instrumenti resumed their activity in 2017, releasing their fourth album "Atkala", winning two Latvian Music Recording Awards. Soon came the follow-up, "Cilvēks" (2019). Both albums featured artwork by the Latvian artist Džemma Skulme. In 2018, Instrumenti headlined shows at Sigulda Castle ruins and in 2019 at the Stadium "Daugava" in Riga for the first time gathering 17,000 people in a single event. After a pandemic-induced break, they returned in late summer 2021 with three shows at the Mežaparks Great Bandstand.
In 2024 summer, Instrumenti released album "Runā Rīga". In honor of this, a concert at Arena Riga has been held on 26 October 2024.

### Dora

In 2015, Latvian director Māra Ķimele asked Jānis to compose original music for the New Riga Theatre's play "Aspazija. Personīgi." Jānis, joined by his Instrumenti bandmate Gatis Zaķis, accepted the offer. As they crafted music for the play, new and unrelated musical ideas emerged, leading to the birth of the duo Dora. They released their debut album "Two Sides" in late 2016.
During a visit to Venice, Jānis got acquainted with the Icelandic artist Berglind Jóna Hlynsdóttir. In 2016, Dora collaborated with Hlynsdóttir on the creation of moving sculptures and sound installations titled "Stitching and Mending" and "The Changing Room," showcased in Reykjavík, Oslo, and Vilnius.
Since 2022, Dora has been working on a new album featuring music with poetry by William Butler Yeats.

### Shipsea

In 2013, Jānis launched his solo project under the moniker Shipsea. While Jānis performs solo as Shipsea, he is most often accompanied by a dynamic and ever-evolving lineup of friends and like-minded musicians.
In 2015, Shipsea released a debut four-song EP, followed by approximately forty solo concerts at K. K. Von Stricka villa in Riga. Jānis continued performing in various Latvian cities and participated in the Tallinn Music Week showcase festival. Shipsea also appeared at the "Far From Moscow" festival in Los Angeles, USA, and supported Arcade Fire at the Mežaparks Green Theater in 2018.
Shipsea's first LP, "Apgaismo mani," dropped in June 2022, featuring eleven compositions with lyrics by Jānis and Marts Pujāts. The album earned two Latvian Music Recording Awards, recognizing it as the Best Pop Music Album and the Best Album of the Year.
In 2024, Shipsea released the album "Lielās cerības" which features songs created during the time of his first marriage's breakup ten years ago. Musicians Matīss Čudars, Ivars Arutjunjans, Lennart Heyndels, Rūdolfs Macats, and Elizabeta Lāce contributed to the recording. The making of the album was captured in a documentary film.

### Individual work

Jānis alongside his colleagues Rolands Pēterkops and Reinis Semēvics co-founded "Tīrkultūra" – a radio project dedicated to experimental and innovative music.
In 2015, Jānis collaborated with the Latvian musician Andris Indāns (from Gas of Latvia) to create the composition Kompjūtergalva, performed by the Riga Cathedral Choir and men’s choir Gaudeamus at the Venice Biennale.
His solo in Scott McAllister's Mercury on the Moon opened the annual Windstream festival in 2016.
In 2017, Jānis was invited by Katarina Henrysson of The Real Group, to have his voice featured in Marina Abramovic’s retrospective The Cleaner, exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. This later led to the creation of the choral improvisation ensemble The Core Singers, consisting of Jānis, Katarina Henrysson, Morten Winther, Linda Calerdahl, Jussi Chydenius and Soila Sariola. Since then, the group has given masterclasses and performed concerts elsewhere in Scandinavia.
In 2018, Jānis participated in the sculptor Liene Mackus's large-scale sculpture exhibition at the Dzintari Small Hall, collaborating with Katarina Henrysson, the choir "Balsis", and the Voice Improvisation Ensemble from Sweden. Together, they created a project titled Landscapes of Change: The Construction of Voices and Space.
In 2019, Jānis participated in the concert program Origin, created by Iveta Apkalna and the Latgale Embassy GORS. The musicians collaboratively interpreted works by Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, J.S. Bach, David Lang, and showcased original music by Jānis.
In 2020, Krists Auznieks crafted the chamber opera Time Present, featuring Sinfonietta Riga Orchestra, conducted by Normunds Šnē, and vocals by Jānis Šipkēvics. The opera premiered in 2021 as part of the festival Pārmija, eventually earning Jānis Šipkēvics the Spelmanu nakts prize for his contribution.
In 2021, Jānis Šipkevics participated in the concert-theatre performance "Ziedonis. Lācis. Vīrieši." and the accompanying album release, both featuring music composed by Kārlis Lācis and lyrics by poet Imants Ziedonis. Other contributors include musicians Intars Busulis, Renārs Kaupers, Jānis Aišpurs, as well as actors Andris Keišs, Artūrs Skrastiņš, and Kaspars Znotiņš.

### Composing

In 2016, Jānis composed and performed "Ubi Caritas" at the International Sacred Music Festival with the State Choir "Latvija".
"Zenīts," a song performance by Jānis and Marts Pujāts commissioned by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, premiered at the "LNSO Summer House 2017". The song earned nominations for the 2017 Grand Music Award and the Latvian culture award "Kilograms kultūras".
The Latvian Centenary celebrations in 2018 opened with the multimedia performance "Patterns of Light" at the National Library of Latvia, featuring music by Jānis. For a project organised by the State Choir in honour of the Centenary, Jānis composed the song "Pievilkšanās spēks".
Jānis composed "Letters from the Beginning," three miniatures for kokles ensemble, dedicated to both his grandmothers, and the artist Džemma Skulme.
In April 2019, Jānis, alongside musicians Kaspars Kurdeko and Matīss Čudars, composed the music for the ballet "Tell Me (No) Tales", earning the "Dance Award 2019-2020" for Ballet Production or Event. The music was recorded and released in 2021.
Jānis crafted a tetralogy, "Tukšumi," for Quattro Baltica, with the first part, "Kaut no kurienes," that premiered in 2019.

### Music for theatre and film

In 2016, Jānis composed music for "Aspazija. Personīgi" at the New Riga Theater. Valmiera Summer Festival in the same year showcased "Talavas Tauretajs," a costume and sound poem that Jānis co-created with "MAREUNROL'S," director Elmārs Seņkovs, and actor Gundars Āboliņš. The accompanying album was released in November 2021.
In 2019, Jānis co-wrote the title theme for the film "Nothing Will Stop Us".
In 2020, Jānis composed for "Zemdegas" at the Daile Theatre, directed by Dmitrijs Petrenko. Collaborating with Juris Strenga in 2021, they interpreted Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," composing six songs in the original language.
In 2021, he penned the soundtrack for the documentary "Against the Current," premiering in 2023.
In 2022, Jānis created music for the poetry performance "Eternal Cloud," directed by Māra Ķimele, featuring poetry by Linards Tauns.

## Discography
### Shipsea

| Year | Title | Type |
| 2024 | Lielās cerības | Album |
| 2024 | Siltā gaismā LIVE EP | EP |
| 2022 | Apgaismo mani | Album |
| 2015 | Shipsea EP | EP |

### Instrumenti

| Year | Title | Type |
| 2024 | Ziemassvētkus | Album |
| 2024 | Runā Rīga | Album |
| 2023 | Priecīgus | Album |
| 2019 | Cilvēks | Album |
| 2017 | Atkala | Album |
| 2015 | Double Aliens (Original Soundtrack) | Soundtrack |
| 2014 | Iekams | Album |
| 2013 | Procrastination | Album |
| 2011 | TRU | Album |
| 2009 | Pandemiya EP | EP |

### Nepāriet

| Year | Title | Type |
| 2017 | Pari | Album |
| 2019 | Luk | Album |

### DORA

| Year | Title | Type |
| 2016 | Two Sides | Album |

### Vocal Group Cosmos

| Year | Title | Type |
| 2009 | Pasaki man un tev | Album |
| 2008 | Turbulence | Album |
| 2007 | Aiming for the Stars (Release in China) | Album |
| 2005 | Ticu un viss | Album |
| 2005 | Тетради любви | Album |
| 2005 | Pa un par | Album |
| 2003 | COSMOS | Album |

### Other Releases

| Year | Title | Collaborators |
| 2021 | (Ne)stāsti man pasakas | Jānis Šipkēvics, Matīss Čudars, Kaspars Kurdeko |
| 2024 | Dienas darbi | Jānis Šipkēvics, Marts Pujāts, Vokāla studija "Siguldiņa" |
| 2021 | Zenīts | Jānis Šipkēvics, Marts Pujāts, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra |
| 2021 | Tālavas taurētājs | Jānis Šipkēvics, Rūdolfs Blaumanis, MAREUNROL’S |