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Santa Buss

Santa Buss (1981) was born in Limbazi, Latvia. She studied at the Music College of Cesis (piano, organ, composition; 1996–2001), Latvian Academy of Music, where, in 2005, she graduated the music theory class of Prof. Dr. Art. Jelena Lebedeva, and, in parallel, studied in the composition class of Arturs Maskats (2002–2007). In 2009, she received her Master‘s Degree, graduating the composition class of Rolands Kronlaks. Santa Buzs also studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (2005–2006) with Prof. Dr. Manfred Stahnke (composition) and Prof. Georg Hajdu (multimedia composition).

Buss has attended many mastercourses such as: Workshop for Baltic States young composers in Dundaga, Latvia (with Tonu Korvits, Helena Tulve, Rytis Mazulis, zarunas Nakas, 2002), 2nd International Workshop for young composers in Dundaga (with Remigijus Merkelys, Taivo Tulev, Tapio Tuomela, 2004), 3rd International Workshop for young composers in Dundaga (with Klas Torstensson, Rolf Wallin, John Woolrich, 2006), Composition workshop and marimba Masterclass with Keiko Abe in Villecroze, France (2007), Off-Programme for students The next Generation at the festival Donaueschinger Musiktage (2006, 2007, 2008) in Germany, 4th International Workshop for young composers in Mazsalaca, Latvia (with Johannes Maria Staud, Yannis Kyriakides, Alla Zagaykevych, 2008), 5th International Workshop for young composers in Mazsalaca (with David Lang, Par Lindgren, Richard Ayres, 2010), pre-art / CONVERGENCE workshop with composer Stefan Wirth in Tbilisi, Georgia (2011).

She has perfected her knowledge at individual masterclasses with composers Veli–Matti Puumala, Bernd Asmus, John Palmer, Wolfgang Heiniger (2007), Ole Lützow-Holm, Demetrius Spaneas, Benjamin Thigpen, Heinz Holliger (2008), Bill Brunson (2009) among others.

Buss is active also in the field of music science and publishing. In 2004 was published her book Operas libretu leksikons. In 2007 she was awarded Arnolds Sturms Prize in Composition. Buzs has been composer in residence at the Casa Pantrova in Lugano, Switzerland (2007) and at the Le Ville Matte – Music programme in Teulada, Sardinia (2010). Since 2010 she is member of the Latvian Composers Union and the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM).

Her music has been performed in Canada, France, Germany (at the festivals Donaueschinger Musiktage 2007 - The next Generation, Usedomer Musikfestval 2010, etc.), Italy, Latvia (at the New Music festivals Arena, several festivals Latvia’s New Music Days, etc.), Lithuania (at the festival Youth Chamber Music Days, etc.), Slovenia (at the 12th Slowind Festival in 2010, etc.) and UK.

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