“Arta Jēkabsone is a voice that will soothe any pain or suffering. She is the guardian and ambassador of light, love, and peace. Yet, she still can bedazzle you with complex, but not overwhelming lines and melodies, and she freely takes command of harmony and rhythm.” — Composer and pianists Edgars Cīrulis
Latvian Vocalist, Composer & Arranger | Based in New York City
Latvian-born vocalist, composer and arranger Arta Jēkabsone infuses her jazz with Baltic soul and an unshakable sense of storytelling. Seamlessly blending Latvian folk melodies with contemporary jazz expression, she crafts music that is both intimate and daring. Her voice radiates warmth, clarity, and fearless emotional depth.
Jēkabsone is the winner of the Montreux Shure Jazz Voice Competition and has placed among the top three in several other prestigious international competitions, including the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition. Her acclaimed debut album Light brims with intimacy, warmth, and crystal-clear focus.
A recipient of The Jazz Gallery Residency Commission Grant (2021–2022), Jēkabsone regularly premieres original works at The Jazz Gallery in New York City. In 2023, she received Latvia’s highest recognition in music, the Latvian Music Award for New Artist of the Year. In 2024, she earned an honorable mention in the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards (ASCAP Foundation) and completed an artist residency at The Church in Sag Harbor. Most recently, she received the 2025 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship and joined the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, where she is developing new works for big band.
Jēkabsone’s latest album, Dziesmu Kamoliņš / Garland of Songs (released October 16, 2025), explores the rich heritage of Latvian folkloric music through her unique contemporary lens. The album was nominated for the Latvian Recording Award “Golden Microphone” for Best World Music Album. She is also preparing Impressions of an Era, a collaborative album featuring the Latvian Radio Big Band and saxophonist/composer Toms Rudzinskis.
Jēkabsone’s performances invite audiences into a sonic space where heritage, innovation, and emotion converge – elevating jazz with a distinctly Baltic warmth, imagination, and spirit.
Long Bio:
New York City-based Latvian singer, composer, and arranger Arta Jēkabsone creates a distinctive musical language where the melodies, harmonies, and stories of Latvian folklore meet the spontaneity and exploration of jazz improvisation. Known for her velvety tone, emotional honesty, and adventurous approach to music, Jēkabsone connects with audiences through deeply personal storytelling, creating performances that are both intimate and daring.
Jēkabsone’s artistry has received international recognition through numerous awards and honors. She won the Grand Prix at the prestigious Montreux Shure Jazz Voice Competition in 2016, received third place at the 10th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition in 2021, second place at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Voice Competition in 2017, and third prize at the Ella Fitzgerald International Vocal Competition in 2019. In 2023, she received the Latvian Music Award “New Artist of the Year 2022,” the highest national recognition in Latvia’s music field. Her recent honors include the 2025 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Music/Sound, an honorable mention in the 2024 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards presented by the ASCAP Foundation, and participation in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, where she is developing new works for large ensemble.
In 2021–2022, Jēkabsone received The Jazz Gallery Residency Commission Grant, resulting in her large-scale original workSearching for a Song. She has also completed artist residencies at The Church in Sag Harbor and Tofte Lake Center in Minnesota, where she expanded her interdisciplinary approach to composition, performance, and storytelling.
At the heart of Jēkabsone’s music is storytelling. Her compositions often begin with the simplicity of Latvian folk melodies, traditional harmonies, and poetic imagery, transforming into intricate musical landscapes shaped by improvisation and contemporary jazz. She views improvisation as a form of instant composition – a moment of risk, discovery, and communication between musicians and listeners.
Nature remains one of the central sources of inspiration in Jēkabsone’s creative world. Growing up surrounded by forests and the river landscape of Kandava, Latvia, she was immersed in folk songs celebrating the sun, moon, birds, seasons, and the profound relationship between people and the natural world. These images continue to shape her artistic voice, where landscapes, memory, and human emotion intertwine.
Jēkabsone’s musical foundation began in childhood through both voice and violin. She considers the violin her “heart instrument,” believing that years of instrumental study shaped the way she hears, phrases, and understands sound. She approaches voice and violin as extensions of one another, singing through the violin and allowing instrumental expression to inform her vocal artistry. Her musical perspective has been shaped by artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Hutcherson, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Flora Purim, Tatiana Parra, Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea, Hermeto Pascoal, Itiberê Zwarg, Aaron Parks, and Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Since releasing her debut albumLightin 2017 with support from the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation, Jēkabsone has created a diverse body of work spanning jazz, contemporary composition, and interdisciplinary performance. Her projects include the duo albumYesterday Still Lies Between the Floorboardswith German vocalist Erik Leuthäuser,BeachFinds(2022), inspired by the poetry of Dean Wilson, andDziesmu Kamoliņš / Garland of Songs(2025), a deeply personal exploration of Latvian folkloric music. The album was nominated for the Latvian Recording Award “Golden Microphone” for Best World Music Album.
Jēkabsone’s original music has been presented at internationally recognized venues and festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Enjoy Jazz Festival, Nikolaisaal Potsdam Festival, Bern Jazz Festival, Harpa Reykjavík, Roy Thomson Hall, NJPAC, and The Jazz Gallery in New York City. At The Jazz Gallery, one of New York’s most creatively ambitious jazz venues, she has premiered multiple original projects, includingLight,Reflections, the multidisciplinary bilingual performanceLetters to Home, and her residency commissionSearching for a Song. She has also been featured in The Jazz Gallery’s Lockdown Sessions alongside artists such as Camila Meza, Aaron Parks, and Dayna Stephens.
As a composer, Jēkabsone continues to expand beyond traditional jazz formats. Together with composer Edgars Cīrulis, she was commissioned by ORCHESTRA RĪGA to createWinter Portraits, a contemporary concert program inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy taleThe Snow Queen. Her compositionKas Var Dziesmas Izdziedātfor mixed choir and orchestra was premiered during the XV Latvian Song and Dance Festival in the United States. Her recent commissions includeIntrospection, written for concert kokle and commissioned by Latvian kokle artist Līga Griķe.
A versatile collaborator, Jēkabsone performs with artists across genres, including Argentinian singer-songwriter Carolina Mama and Grammy-nominated Moroccan Gnawa musician Samir LanGus. In 2025, she joined the newly formed NY Vocal Collective, led by Grammy-winning arranger and producer Ben Bram, known for his work with Pentatonix andPitch Perfect. She also contributed a vocal track to the award-winning filmWesthampton, featuring music by composer Nick Marks.
Jēkabsone’s upcoming projects continue to explore connections between personal history, collective memory, and contemporary musical expression. She is currently preparingImpressions of an Era, a collaborative album featuring the Latvian Radio Big Band and saxophonist/composer Toms Rudzinskis.
For Jēkabsone, music is a space where traditions, imagination, and human connection coexist. She sees herself as part of the music itself , a vibrant color within a constantly evolving musical palette, guided by curiosity, storytelling, and the endless possibilities of sound.
Musical Education:
Riga Cathedral Choir School Jazz and Contemporary music department (2011-2015) – taught by Latvian jazz singer Inga Bērziņa
The New School For Jazz and Contemporary Music (2015) – earned Full President Scholarship, taught by renowned artists including Janet Lawson, Reggie Workman, Billy Harper, Andy Milne and many more.
The New School Arts Management and Entrepreneurship Program (2018-2020)
Artist Residency:
Tofte Lake Center Artist Residence in Minnesota, MN Septemebr 3rd-9th, 2025)
The Church Sag Harbour Artist Residency (May 2nd – May 22nd, 2024)
Toms Rudzinskis feat. Arta Jēkabsone, at Jazz residency at the Small Guild “Jazz at the Old Riga – Small Guild Gardens” series – Mazā ģilde, Rīga, Latvia (2025)
Arta Jēkabsone & Kestutis Vaiginis Quintet feat. Jānis Rubiks, Krists Saržants & Kaspars Kurdeko at the Jazz Boat, Trakai, Lithuania (2025)
Arta Jēkabsone Solo Spring Tour – Detroit MI, Cleveland OH, Minneapolis MN (2024)
The Jazz Gallery Presents Songs of the Season Silver Bell(e)s & Holiday Harmonies feat.Arta Jēkabsone , Vanisha Gould, Rose Stoller and many more (2023)
Arta Jēkabsone & Toms Rudzinkis ” Impressions of an Era” feat.Ventspils Bigband at the Concert Hall “Latvia” (2023)
Arta Jēkabsone Quartet Latvian Concert Tour ” Viss Tikai Atgriežas” (2023)
Arta Jēkabsone Icelandic Tour (2023)
Arta Jēkabsone Solo Concert Tour “Spring Inside the Heart” Seattle, WA & Portland,OR (2023)
Arta Jekabsone 