Accompanists of the Competition 2025:

Ērika Millere

Erika is a pianist and accompanist. She was born in Rezekne, Latvia, where she began her musical education. In 2010, she graduated from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music with a Bachelor’s degree as a solo pianist, and in 2014, she obtained a Master’s degree in piano accompaniment.

Since 2010, Erika has worked as a rehearsal pianist and répétiteur at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. From 2010 to 2018, she worked at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music as an accompanist in the vocal department.

From 2010 to 2014, she collaborated with vocal teacher Anita Garanča. She has furthered her studies in chamber music and accompaniment with Walter Moore (USA), Philip Moll (Germany), A. Bondurjansky (Ukraine), and A. Novosovska (Poland).

Erika Millere actively performs in concerts with opera soloists and records for Radio 3 Klasika’s archives.

Awards:
Best Accompanist Diploma at the 9th and 10th International Klaudia Taev Competition for Opera Singers
Best Accompanist Diploma at the 6th International Jāzeps Vītols Singing Competition (2015), Riga.

Together with baritone Rihards Millers, she was nominated for the Great Music Award in Latvia in 2022, “for outstanding interpretation” of the vocal song cycle Winterreise by F. Schubert.

Lelde Tīrele

is an Assistant Professor at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Department of Chamber Ensemble and Piano Accompaniment. She studied piano under the distinguished professors Ilze Graubiņa and Arnis Zandmanis, and in 2025 earned her Professional Doctorate in Arts.

Alongside her pedagogical work, she actively performs in Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany, appearing both in diverse chamber music ensembles and in refined vocal chamber music programmes with Latvia’s leading soloists, with a particular focus on contemporary chamber repertoire. As an orchestral musician, she has participated in programmes with all of Latvia’s foremost orchestras.

As an official pianist, Lelde Tīrele has collaborated with the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition in 2018, 2022, and 2024, the International Vocal Competition for the Alīda Vāne Prize (2013–2019) in Ventspils, as well as the Marina Zirdziņa Vocal Competition in August of this year. She has also served as an official pianist at numerous international cello competitions in Latvia, Lithuania, and Dubai.

Jaanika Rand-Sirp

She graduated from the piano class of Prof. L. Mets at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 1996. In 2002, she also defended her Master’s degree as an accompanist there. Since 1996, she has been working as a teacher of chamber ensemble at the H. Eller Tartu Music School. From 1996 to 2013, she worked at Theatre Vanemuine as an executive pianist and vocal coach, and since 2013, Jaanika Rand-Sirp has been the pianist and vocal coach at the National Opera of Estonia.

In 2003, she received a scholarship from the International Association of Richard Wagner Societies. Jaanika Rand-Sirp is an active chamber musician and a musical partner to many singers and instrumentalists. She has been the pianist for the Klaudia Taev Competition since 2013 and was awarded the special prize for best accompanist at the Klaudia Taev Competition for opera singers in 2021.

Artur Shutov

Artur Shutov is a Lithuanian-based pianist and vocal coach at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. His artistic activity spans opera coaching, chamber music, and solo performance.

He studied at the Kherson Music College (2011–2015) and later at the Odessa National Academy of Music (2015–2022), under the guidance of Prof. T. I. Shevchenko and Assoc. Prof. O. K. Shcherbakova earned a master’s degree in solo performance and collaborative piano. In 2024, he received a second master’s degree from Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy. He has taken part in masterclasses with Liudmila Berlinskaia, Maria Pukhlianko, Nijolė Dorotėja Beniušytė, Hans Eijsackers, and Livio Minafra.

A laureate of several national and international competitions, Shutov won First Prize at the “UKE-PIANO” National Piano Competition (Kyiv, 2021) and the Premio Scarlatti International Youth Music Competition (Vilnius, 2022), among others. His concert experience includes performances in Germany with the Feuerwerk Piano Academy (2023) and in Vienna’s Philharmonic, Mozarthaus, and Borromäus halls with the Vienna Opera Academy (2023). In 2024, he joined the Berlin Opera Academy as a coach and pianist.

Since 2022, Artur has been based in Lithuania, performing regularly in Kaunas and Vilnius as a soloist and chamber musician. Alongside his work at LNOBT, he has collaborated with singers at Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy as a vocal accompanist.


Conditions for using a pianist provided by the Competition

  • The use of a pianist for the live audition in the First round costs 15-40 EUR, if it is not organized differently. 
  • The pianist is provided FREE of charge for up to 20 minutes of preparation for the 2nd and 3rd rounds and up to 30 minutes for the 4th round. 
  • Extra rehearsal time (also for the final round) can be arranged by personal agreement with a pianist for 10 EUR per 10 minutes. 
  • Participants themselves must provide the pianist with all music needed! Be ready to send scores if asked at least 2 weeks before the competition round.
  • Participants are allowed to bring their own pianist.