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 Nepāriet and Dora. His solo project is known as Shipsea.
CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION
Jānis Šipkēvics, born in Riga, began his musical journey at Emīls Dārziņš Music School in 1989 and later graduated from the Riga Cathedral Choir School in 2000. As a member of the Riga Cathedral Choir, he toured extensively, showcasing his vocal talent. Besides his musical pursuits, Jānis had a passion for basketball and snooker during his school years. His musical influences included classic rock and pop artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Prince, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton, Kate Bush, and Michael Jackson.
In 2000, Jānis enrolled in the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, specializing in Choral Conducting. From 2001 to 2003, he worked as a conductor for the Valmiera Women’s Choir “Jumara.” Alongside his studies, Jānis developed a keen interest in photography, working as a sports photographer for local papers and contributing to ornithology journals.
COSMOS
While at the Riga Cathedral Choir School, Jānis, 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.
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. Extensive touring in Latvia ensued, highlighting Andris Sējāns’ exceptional arranging skills. In 2004, Cosmos triumphed in the International Young Composer masterclasses.
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 embarked on 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.
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 in 2012. 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. 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”.
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, Doracollaborated 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 includes songs that were created 10 years ago.
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 Abramovich’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 Winters, Linda Calderdahl, Jussi Cidenius 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 Rīga Orchestra, conducted by Normunds Šnē, and vocals by Jānis. The opera premiered in 2021 as part of the festival Pārmija, eventually earning Jānis Šipkēvics the Spēlmaņu nakts prize for his contribution.
Compositions
2021 // 10 songs with Aspazija’s words for mixed choir, piano, double bass, and marimba
2021 // Choir opera “Babītes baobabs”
2020 // Official anthem of the public media charity marathon “Dod pieci!” – “Es zinu, tu esi” (lyrics by Inga Cipe)
2020 // Music for the Dailes Theater production “Zemdegas” (a play by Regīna Ezera, directed by Dmitrijs Petrenko)
2019 // One-act ballet “(Ne)stāsti man pasakas” – commissioned by the Latvian National Opera and Ballet (choreographer Elza Leimane, co-authors Kaspars Kurdeko and Matīss Čudars)
2019 // “Vēstules no sākuma” – a cycle of 3 compositions for a 40-string ensemble (conducted by harp musician Anda Eglīte)
2018 // “Gaismas raksti” – a cycle for choir and electronics with words by Ilmārs Šlāpins (commissioned by the Latvian Radio Choir, conductor Kaspars Putniņš)
2018 // “Pievilkšanās spēks” – a cappella choral piece commissioned by the Latvian State Academic Choir “Latvija”
2017 // “Svētais klusums” and “Kaut no kurienes” – 2 scenes for string quartet and voice (dedicated to the quartet “Quattro Baltica”)
2017 // Children’s micro-opera “Zenīts” – for seven instruments and two boys (poetry by Marta Pujāts, commissioned by LNSO)
2017 // Sound poem “Tālavas Tauretājs” (a collaboration with MAREUNROL’S and director Elmārs Senkovs, commissioned by the Valmiera Theater Festival)
2016 // Motet “Ubi caritas” for the Latvian State Academic Choir “Latvija” (conductor Māris Sirmais) for the opening of the International Sacred Music Festival
2015 // Vocal performance for male and boys’ choirs “Kompjūtergalvas koris” (in collaboration with Katrīna Neiburga and Gas of Latvia) for the Latvian pavilion exhibition “ARMPIT” at the 56th Venice Art Biennale (artists Katrīna Neiburga, Andris Eglītis)
2015 // Music and soundscapes for the New Riga Theater production “Aspazija. Personīgi” (directed by Māra Ķimele, stage and video design by Gints Gabrāns, Ineta Sipunova)
2015 // “Doma iet un atkal atnāk atpakaļ” for a cappella choir (youth choir “Maska,” conductor Jānis Ozols)