Are you an artist, arts organization or venue?

artist

What town do you live in?

Hadley, MA

In which disciplines do you work or exhibit?

Performance, Theater, Other

Artist Statement/Bio

Laila Salins grew up just beyond the skyline of New York, with the rich Latvian heritage of her parents who emigrated from Eastern Europe to the United States after WWII. For many years she was involved with Latvian folk music before going on to study classical music, with a deep interest in contemporary music, avant-garde theater and world music. She later became involved in opera and chamber music, and has performed as a soloist throughout the United States, Canada, England, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Latvia and Australia and has sung premieres of many chamber, orchestral and music theater works. Laila has been active as an interpreter of contemporary chamber music, most recently as the co-founder and vocal soloist of the Ecliptica Ensemble. She has performed with the Zurich Opera, the Latvian National Opera, the New York Opera Ensemble, Opera Factory Zurich, Connecticut Grand Opera, and the Music Theater Group of New York. Laila Salins has been praised by the New York Times for “captivating the crowd with her performance” and by the Neue Zuercher Zeitung (Switzerland) for being “exceptional in her singing ability, feeling for style and performing intensity.”

In addition to her work as a performer, Laila has been evolving as a composer, arranger, and creator of new works. She was a founding member and musical collaborator in the folk ensemble Kolibri and the original music group, Ballistic Cabaret. She is co-author of the music theater piece, "The Incredible Adventures of Champagne Charlie," produced by the O'Neill Music Theater Conference. She is a recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, CEC ArtsLink, The Experimental Television Center, and ALA‘s Cultural Foundation. She recently released a CD of Latvian ballads and drinking songs – "Toasting" ("Saskandinot"), which she arranged and produced. Laila is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston and SUNY at Stonybrook. She currently splits her time between New York and Western Massachusetts.

Website

http://www.lailasalins.com