Jānis Stafeckis has been the conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) since autumn 2022. Learn more on the LNSO website.

His musical repertoire is firmly grounded in the Classical and Romantic traditions, while also spanning from the works of Bach to the music of the 21st century. Jānis is a dedicated advocate of contemporary music, frequently premiering works by Latvian composers and approaching new scores with the same commitment and curiosity as the established canon.

Since 2022, Jānis has also worked as assistant conductor to the rising Finnish maestro Tarmo Peltokoski, one of the most promising talents in Nordic classical music. This close collaboration has deepened his expertise in staging major symphonic repertoire—from Berlioz, Richard Strauss, and Mahler to significant works of the 21st century. Notably, he assisted in the stage productions of Wagner’s operas Siegfried (2023) and Götterdämmerung (2024), and will be an assistant conductor of the production of Parsifal at the Cēsis Arts Festival in Latvia in August 2025.

Jānis holds a Master’s degree in symphonic conducting from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (2020), where he studied with Professor Andris Vecumnieks, and he previously completed his studies in double bass performance and pedagogy (2006) under Sergejs Brīnums. He refined his conducting technique at the Vilnius Academy of Music and Theatre with Professor Juozas Domarkas, and began his journey with Professor Mārtiņš Ozoliņš, Chief Conductor of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet. Through an “Erasmus+” scholarship, he undertook professional practice at Komische Oper Berlin during the 2021/2022 season under Ainars Rubiķis.

As a guest conductor, he has collaborated with prominent Latvian ensembles, including the Latvian State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, and The Orchestra RIGA.

In October 2020, Jānis led a notable concert program with the LNSO, featuring acclaimed organist Iveta Apkalna and the iconic Latvian composer and pianist Raimonds Pauls. Broadcast several times on Latvian public television, the concert earned a Latvian Great Music Award nomination and won the Latvian Public Media Award “Kilogram of Culture.”

In opera and operetta, Jānis debuted in 2019 with Franz Lehár’s Die Lustige Witwe, presented by the Latvian Operetta Foundation. His ongoing collaboration with the foundation includes a production of Poulenc’s La voix humaine and Menotti’s The Telephone, which earned the Great Music Award in 2021 for its artistic excellence.

Until the 2023/2024 season, Jānis served as artistic director of the Rēzekne Chamber Orchestra, uniting students and educators from the Latgale region. The ensemble has become a cultural cornerstone in eastern Latvia, regularly performing at GORS—one of the most modern and acoustically outstanding concert halls in the Baltics.

With a wide range of collaborations and a background as both conductor and musician, Jānis brings a rare depth to his craft. Before focusing on conducting, he spent fifteen years as Principal Double Bass with Sinfonietta Rīga and performed with all of Latvia’s leading orchestras.