Valdis Muktupāvels

Valdis Muktupāvels (9 November 1958 in Līvāni) is a Latvian ethnomusicologist, composer, musician,[1] teacher and doctor of art criticism.

He completed the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in 1996 with a doctorate in art criticism.

[citation needed] Muktupāvels was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas in 2001.

[3] In 2010 culture management center Lauska released Muktupāvels' bilingual book in Latvian and English titled "Kokles un koklēšana Latvijā/The Baltic Psaltery and Playing Traditions in Latvia" that also included a CD with kokles tunings, exercises and repertoire.

[4] In late 2019, Muktupāvels toured the United States and Canada together with his wife, performing various traditional songs from different historical Baltic regions (Curonia, Vidzeme, Latgale, Zemgale, Selonia, Lithuania, Prussia and Yotvingia) with musical instruments such as kokles, Jew's harp, guitar and dūdas.