Today we’d like to introduce you to Aija Izaks.
Aija Izaks (maiden name Aija Nagle) was born on June 27, 1969 in Republic of Latvia (town of Kōrsova in Latgola region.) She is a Latvian American violinist and model. For 18 years, Aija has studied music at some of the finest schools in Europe, such as Latvian Music Academy named after Jāzeps Vītols (in Rīga, Latvia), Saint Petersburg Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (in St. Petersburg, Russia) and Music School for the Gifted named after Emīls Dārziņš (in Rīga, Latvia.) She received a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance and was announced “The Best Graduate of the Year” by one of the leading National magazines. Upon completion of her studies she worked as a Violinist at Latvian National Theatre of Opera and Ballet (in Rīga, Latvia) and Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (in Liepāja, Latvia.) In 1994 she moved to USA and has worked as a First Violinist at the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (in Charleston, WV), as a featured Violinist at Stages Repertoire Theatre (in Houston, TX) and as a Concertmaster at Houston Civic Symphony. She also taught Violin at the University of Charleston in WV. She performs concerts in America and abroad, both as a Soloist and Orchestra musician, in various Symphonic and Chamber Music group settings. She is an owner and lead musician of “Dreams Come True Music” agency (www.dreamscometruemusic.com), based in Houston, Texas. In her career she has recorded several CD and DVD Albums, performed for many celebrities and dignitaries from all over the world, such as President of the USA George H.W. Bush, First Lady Barbara Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Presidents of the Republic of Latvia Vaira Vīķe- Freiberga and Andris Bērziņš, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud, Hollywood Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, USA Figure Skater Scott Hamilton, National Football League leaders and many others. Aija has performed together with such celebrity artists as Itzhak Perlman, Yo- Yo Ma, Sr. James Galloway, Lionel Richie, Reba McEntire, Laura Fabian, Marc O’Connor and others.
In 2016, she was awarded a Gold Medal by President Obama- for her Community Service of volunteering her music services to the Elderly and Special Needs people. She also teaches Violin, Piano and Music Theory at her private Music Studio in Texas. Aija’s crowning musical achievement is her 38-track double-disk Music album “Teksasys Latgalīši” for which she received an Academy Award “BOŅUKS” in her home country Republic of Latvia in 2018. This album was created in honor of Latvian Centennial. It has a huge variety of music from different cultures, eras, styles and genres. Aija also works as a Fashion Model, holding Diploma from “Neil Hamil Modeling and Talent Agency” in Houston. In her modeling career she is active both locally and nationwide, traveling across the USA and successfully working for various companies. Besides being a Musician and Model, Aija also translates books. She specializes in minority languages such as her native Latvian and Latgalian, but is also fluent in English and Russian, as well as has basic knowledge of French. Two of her latest translation works are books by Latgalian scholar and patriot Juoņs Cybuļskis: “Veritas Nostra Est” and “Andryvs Jūrdžs”. Both are translations from Latgalian to English; first book being unique in aspect that it is printed in “side-by-side & word-by-word” two language formats, which helps English speaking people study Latgalian and vice versa.
Has it been a smooth road?
Music has always been an “icebreaker” for me in social situations. When I came to USA at age of 24, I didn’t speak very good English yet, but I am thankful that I was able to overcome this obstacle by simply demonstrating my students how to play, and they learned violin very well regardless of my language limitations. It took about two years for me to become fluent in English.
Dreams Come True Music – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Dreams Come True Music is truly one of the very best choices available for live music. It will make your special event EXTRA SPECIAL and will prove that your dreams really can come true. All of our players are professional musicians and we are offering you the best variety of live music of all types that is performed either by solo instruments or by any size ensemble of your choice. Offering both traditional ensembles and strolling ensembles, we can create the right group to make your function special. We believe that people in the music business must be true about what it advertises. We know by experience that often customers are caught by someone’s flashy advertisement and exaggerated promises just to find out later that musicians were not very qualified and therefore didn’t make event special. You want to treasure your memorable event forever and share it with others with pride. Choose us and you will never be disappointed! Our extensive music library offers a huge selection of music from different eras and styles such as Baroque, Classical, Popular, Broadway, Ragtime, Jazz, Swing, Blues, Country & Western, Jewish, Gospel, Ethnic, Kids, Disney, and various others.
What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
I enjoyed attending Music School since tender age of seven. One day during a solfeggio lesson my favorite teacher was playing a musical dictation for us and we were supposed to write it down in ten minutes maximum. I wrote it down in just two minutes and my teacher was overjoyed to realize that I have been born with a gift of perfect pitch. She explained to me what it was, and this experience has given me an incredible boost and self-esteem through my whole life. This perfect pitch has tremendously helped to achieve my goals and dreams as a musician.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dreamscometruemusic.com
- Phone: 281-239-5565
- Email: aijaizaks@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aija.izaks
Image Credit:
Seane Warzusan
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