Founded in 1997 by renowned violinist Gidon Kremer, the Grammy-Award winning chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica is considered to be one of Europe’s most prominent international ensembles.

Kremer intentionally selected young, enthusiastic musicians to stave off the dreaded ‘orchestritis’ that afflicts many professional orchestral players. Essential to Kremerata Baltica’s artistic personality is its creative approach to programming, which often ranges beyond the mainstream and has given rise to premieres of works by composers such as Arvo Pärt, Giya Kancheli, Pēteris Vasks, Leonid Desyatnikov and Alexander Raskatov.

Since its establishment, Kremerata Baltica has played in over fifty countries, 600 cities and more than 1,000 concerts worldwide. The orchestra’s wide-ranging and carefully chosen repertoire is showcased in its numerous and acclaimed recordings. Its album of works by Mieczysław Weinberg on ECM was nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award, while its recording of Shostakovich’s piano concertos with Anna Vinnitskaya won the ECHO (now Opus) Klassik 2016. The recording of Weinberg’s Symphonies Nos 2 & 21, a joint venture with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, received a Gramophone Award in 2020.

Due to coronavirus restrictions in 2020, the orchestra wasn’t able to meet, rehearse, perform concerts or travel the world as usual. But the members, living in different countries, maintained a desire to perform music and bring joy to people. The members of Kremerata Baltica living in Lithuania started preparing programmes and performing concerts there, while those living in Latvia started performing in Latvia and Estonia. This became the beginning of Kremerata Lithuanica and Kremerata Lettonica.

Kremerata Baltica also serves as a medium to share Gidon Kremer’s rich artistic experience with a new generation and, at the same time, to promote and inspire the musical and cultural life of the Baltics.