Aleksandra Kaspera was born in 1984 in Riga, Latvia. At the age of four she began piano studies at the junior music conservatory in Latvia. At the age of ten she chose to study cello and a year later became third finalist in a major competition for young Latvian strings musicians. She graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in cello performance with Professor Mariss Villeruss at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Music Academy. While studying, she performed solo with the academy symphony orchestra and participated in orchestras in Denmark, Lithuania and Sweden. Until graduating she was a member of the Latvian orchestra Sinfonia Concertante conducted by Andris Vecumnieks and the orchestra Konsonanse conducted by Andris Poga.
As a part of the Socrates Erasmus exchange program she has studied in the Netherlands with professors Jeroen Reuling (former principal cellist, Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra), Rene Berman (principal cellist, Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra), Tineke Steenbrink (organist, harpsichordist, co-founder of Holland Baroque Society) and Egbert Spelde (accordionist, founder, conductor and artistic director of the Dutch Accordion Ensemble). In 2009 she won second prize with accordionist Jevgenijs Pastuhovs in the NOVAM National Accordion Chamber Music Competition. In the same year she was appointed principal cellist of the ArtEZ Baroque Project, working with the Holland Baroque Society. Aleksandra has also been awarded numerous scholarships and plays on a Jacob Weiss (Salzburg 1745) cello on loan from the National Instrument Fund. She has received Baroque music lessons sponsored by the Nieuw Haersolte fonds, and made the promotional DVD CASTUS sponsored by ArtEZ and others.
Aleksandra has participated in masterclasses by renowned musicians including Maria Kliegel, Gary Hoffman, Gavriel Lipkind, Justus Grimm, Gordan Nikolić, Gijs Kramers, Claudio Jacomucci, Marcio Corneiro and the Aurelia Saxophone quartet. While studying for her master’s degree Aleksandra did an internship with both the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch Symphony Orchestra. In 2012 she graduated cum laude with her master’s degree in music performance.
