Guntars Gedulis promoting the World Choir Games 2014 in Riga, Latvia © INTERKULTUR

Mourning for Guntars Gedulis

Representative of Venezuela in the World Choir Council passed away

Obituary

"Music is a window to a different, spiritual world; a bridge that brings us out of the everyday and joins us with the experience."
– Guntars Gedulis

INTERKULTUR is mourning for the composer, conductor, singer, teacher and member of the World Choir Council, Guntars Gedulis, who passed away on Sunday, November 17.

Born in 1952 in New York (USA) as a son of Latvian parents, Guntars Gedulis remained attached to his Latvian roots throughout his entire life. He taught music, Latvian, and Latvian geography, among others, at the New York Latvian School, before moving to Caracas, Venezuela in 1975. From 1979 to 1985, he studied singing at the Caracas School of Opera, where he took part in opera and operetta performances.

He was involved in a variety of ways in the cultural life of Venezuela: from 1979 to 1982, he was the regular conductor of the student choir Coral Capella de Caracas, participating in cultural tours sponsored by the Venezuela government. In 1987, he founded the singing society Gaudeamus, performing with Gaudeamus choirs in Venezuela, the United States, Trinidad, and Colombia, in 1990 in Latvia and other nations on the Baltic Sea. He also worked as a choir master for the opera company Belcanto (1985–1987), and the Teatro Teresa Carreño (1993–1994), and from 2004 as regular conductor of the theater opera choir.

In 2005, he was awarded the Three Star Order from the Latvian government for his work in society and culture, appreciating his achievements in bringing Latvian choral music on an international level.

As a member of the INTERKULTUR World Choir Council, Guntars Gedulis always supported the Choral Olympic movement and shared the idea of the World Choir Games in his choral communities. He also was a strong support and involved in building up INTERKULTUR’s choral network in South America.

INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Council have lost a committed and active member that will be missed sorely at its biennial meetings. INTERKULTUR expresses its sincere condolences to his family, friends and beloved ones.

In mourning for Guntars Gedulis here’s the “Lacrimosa” from Mozart’s Requiem performed by 500 singers and musicians at the “Singers in Residence – Sing Along Concert 2019” in the Vienna Concert Hall on November 17:

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