Teaching Philosophy: "My teaching philosophy is based on the understanding that each student brings a different set of interests and motivation to the teaching session. I build a teaching plan which reflects these individual needs with kindness, patience, positive reinforcement, and a strong belief that learning to play a musical instrument can and should be fun. I have worked with children as young as six years of age, high school and college students, and adults of all ages."
Biography: Rihards Kolmanis is a guitarist, composer and music educator from Riga, Latvia, currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. Rihards started playing guitar when he was 15 years old, attending middle school. Within the first year of playing guitar, he formed his first band and quickly gained recognition in the local club scene as the guitarist and vocalist of the band “Strong Mint”. The band’s style could be defined as a cross between blues-rock and funk music. In the short existence of the band they managed to play some of the biggest festivals in Latvia like “Fonofest” and “Blūza svētki Siguldā”. In addition to performing in 2011, they gained special attention from the DJ’s of one of the most popular radio stations at the time - “Radio 101”, where they won “Cēsu Premium New Band Competition”, but were later disqualified because of their young age. Nevertheless, the impression was made and Strong Mint stayed on the airwaves of “Radio 101” and performed in their festival “Tuborg Green Night”.
Rihards realized he wished to pursue music professionally and despite his late start on the guitar. In 2012, he auditioned and was accepted to the most prestigious music high-school in the country - “Riga Cathedral Choir School”. Here, in addition to studying classical music theory and history, he took special interest in the Jazz Department where he developed his improvisational skills and knowledge of performing in a wide array of contemporary music genres. During his first year of high school, he formed the band “Coolmans Report” for which he served as the lead singer, guitarist and main song-writer. They gained fame as a non-traditional blues band performing blues and jazz with various unique influences from a variety of different genres. This innovative and eclectic approach to such a traditional genre of music granted them the status of the house band in the prestigious and internationally recognized blues club in Riga, Latvia - “Bites Blues Club”. That is also where they met their manager Dailes Zigis, who being a local music legend himself, put the band on the local and international stage. Coolmans Report has performed on the main stages in the biggest Festivals in Latvia including “Saulkrasti Jazz”, “Rīgas Ritmi”, “Positivus”, “Bildes” and others. They also garnered international recognition with performances in Lithuania’s blues festival “Bliuzo Naktys” (multiple years in a row), Switzerland’s biggest blues festival “Sierra Blues” and Belgium’s jazz festival “Skoda Jazz”, where they performed a special show for the Latvian members of the EU parliament. In addition to these festivals, Coolmans Report has accompanied various international touring acts including Ken Hensley (Ex-Uriah Heep), Justina Lee Brown, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges, Angela Brown and many more.
In addition to his work with Coolmans Report, Rihards became busy as a professional musician, accompanying and collaborating with various other Latvian musicians. The most notable of these are the collaborations for theater plays “Vecgada Vakars Kurmaja” (2013) and “Snoforkim” (2014) at the famous “Dailes Theatre”, a famous and long standing Latvian theater with some of the most esteemed directors in Latvia. This flourished into a professional relationship with Juris Vaivods, musical director of the theater and an awarded musical consultant and composer who secured Rihards work in the grand “Latvian song and dance Festival” and also performances with the most legendary Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls. At the time Rihards also composed music for film “Ruch’n’Norie” which won the “AKKA/LAA Copyright infinity ward” (biggest copyright achievement in the country) and “Latvian Cinematography Award” for best documentary film of the year (Latvian equivalent of “Oscars” award). In 2015, Rihards and the band “Electric Combo”, which was formed as a graduation requirement for his high-school, released a concert-video, which was later nominated for the Latvian Grammy’s “Annual Latvian Music Recording Award”, better known as “Zelta Mikrofons” in two categories: best debut and best concert-recording.
After graduating from high-school in 2015, Rihards wished to further develop and expand his craft. He auditioned in London, UK, and was accepted with a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and later acquired a Master’s degree in Music from one of the oldest conservatories in the USA - New England Conservatory - where he worked as a teaching assistant to professors Ran Blake and Hankus Netsky. He graduated from both schools with honors and multiple awards. During this time, he became a popular go-to musician for various Latvian communities across the US and traveled to perform for them in Boston, Chicago, New York, Florida, San Francisco, Indianapolis and New Jersey. In 2021, Rihards was commissioned to compose for two esteemed Latvian-American organizations. “TILTS” commissioned Rihards to compose songs based on Latvian poets in exile and Latvian folk songs for the trio “Pusnakts Dziesminieki”. “ALTS”, which is the oldest Latvian-American organization commissioned Rihards to compose a 30-minute piece inspired by Latvian painters in the US in the style of cybernetics art movement for the organization’s 103rd Anniversary event. For both of these commissions Rihards also performed.
In parallel, he established his own project “Near Light Project” and “NAOTT,” a collaboration with saxophonist and musicologist Paul Meland. These projects were more of a creative outlet for Rihards’ own compositions and interest in Sound Ecology, experimental explorations in alternative ways to use the guitar and produce sound, multi-media collaborations and use of early medieval and renaissance music in contemporary settings.
As a teacher, Rihards has many years of experience teaching in a diverse array of genres, including, but not limited to: Jazz, Rock, Blues, Classical, Pop, R&B, Funk and Electronic Music. He offers both individual and group private lessons on guitar, ukulele, bass, composition and music theory. He has taught at Berklee College of Music Summer Programs and is currently on faculty at New England Conservatory Prep Division and Phillips Academy Andover.
Currently, Rihards is actively engaged in performing in Boston, MA and other parts of the US. He is a music teacher in multiple locations in the Greater Boston Area and is working on his next projects.
Notable achievements:
“Lielais Kristaps: Best Documentary Film” for music in film “Ruch’n’Norie” 2015
“Akka/Laa Copyright Infinity Award” for music in film “Ruch’n’Norie” 2016
“T-Bone Walker Award” for outstanding achievement at Berklee College of Music 2017
“Jimi Hendrix Award” for outstanding achievement at Berklee College of Music 2018
“Garrison Fewell Award” for outstanding achievement at Berklee College of Music 2018
Latvian Heritage Foundation award “Oskara Balva” for promoting and sustaining Latvian culture in Boston 2019
Honorable Mention for the “Ran Blake Foundation Award” 2021
Rihards began teaching in 2013 and joined Note-worthy Experiences in December 2024.
Biography: Rihards Kolmanis is a guitarist, composer and music educator from Riga, Latvia, currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. Rihards started playing guitar when he was 15 years old, attending middle school. Within the first year of playing guitar, he formed his first band and quickly gained recognition in the local club scene as the guitarist and vocalist of the band “Strong Mint”. The band’s style could be defined as a cross between blues-rock and funk music. In the short existence of the band they managed to play some of the biggest festivals in Latvia like “Fonofest” and “Blūza svētki Siguldā”. In addition to performing in 2011, they gained special attention from the DJ’s of one of the most popular radio stations at the time - “Radio 101”, where they won “Cēsu Premium New Band Competition”, but were later disqualified because of their young age. Nevertheless, the impression was made and Strong Mint stayed on the airwaves of “Radio 101” and performed in their festival “Tuborg Green Night”.
Rihards realized he wished to pursue music professionally and despite his late start on the guitar. In 2012, he auditioned and was accepted to the most prestigious music high-school in the country - “Riga Cathedral Choir School”. Here, in addition to studying classical music theory and history, he took special interest in the Jazz Department where he developed his improvisational skills and knowledge of performing in a wide array of contemporary music genres. During his first year of high school, he formed the band “Coolmans Report” for which he served as the lead singer, guitarist and main song-writer. They gained fame as a non-traditional blues band performing blues and jazz with various unique influences from a variety of different genres. This innovative and eclectic approach to such a traditional genre of music granted them the status of the house band in the prestigious and internationally recognized blues club in Riga, Latvia - “Bites Blues Club”. That is also where they met their manager Dailes Zigis, who being a local music legend himself, put the band on the local and international stage. Coolmans Report has performed on the main stages in the biggest Festivals in Latvia including “Saulkrasti Jazz”, “Rīgas Ritmi”, “Positivus”, “Bildes” and others. They also garnered international recognition with performances in Lithuania’s blues festival “Bliuzo Naktys” (multiple years in a row), Switzerland’s biggest blues festival “Sierra Blues” and Belgium’s jazz festival “Skoda Jazz”, where they performed a special show for the Latvian members of the EU parliament. In addition to these festivals, Coolmans Report has accompanied various international touring acts including Ken Hensley (Ex-Uriah Heep), Justina Lee Brown, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges, Angela Brown and many more.
In addition to his work with Coolmans Report, Rihards became busy as a professional musician, accompanying and collaborating with various other Latvian musicians. The most notable of these are the collaborations for theater plays “Vecgada Vakars Kurmaja” (2013) and “Snoforkim” (2014) at the famous “Dailes Theatre”, a famous and long standing Latvian theater with some of the most esteemed directors in Latvia. This flourished into a professional relationship with Juris Vaivods, musical director of the theater and an awarded musical consultant and composer who secured Rihards work in the grand “Latvian song and dance Festival” and also performances with the most legendary Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls. At the time Rihards also composed music for film “Ruch’n’Norie” which won the “AKKA/LAA Copyright infinity ward” (biggest copyright achievement in the country) and “Latvian Cinematography Award” for best documentary film of the year (Latvian equivalent of “Oscars” award). In 2015, Rihards and the band “Electric Combo”, which was formed as a graduation requirement for his high-school, released a concert-video, which was later nominated for the Latvian Grammy’s “Annual Latvian Music Recording Award”, better known as “Zelta Mikrofons” in two categories: best debut and best concert-recording.
After graduating from high-school in 2015, Rihards wished to further develop and expand his craft. He auditioned in London, UK, and was accepted with a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and later acquired a Master’s degree in Music from one of the oldest conservatories in the USA - New England Conservatory - where he worked as a teaching assistant to professors Ran Blake and Hankus Netsky. He graduated from both schools with honors and multiple awards. During this time, he became a popular go-to musician for various Latvian communities across the US and traveled to perform for them in Boston, Chicago, New York, Florida, San Francisco, Indianapolis and New Jersey. In 2021, Rihards was commissioned to compose for two esteemed Latvian-American organizations. “TILTS” commissioned Rihards to compose songs based on Latvian poets in exile and Latvian folk songs for the trio “Pusnakts Dziesminieki”. “ALTS”, which is the oldest Latvian-American organization commissioned Rihards to compose a 30-minute piece inspired by Latvian painters in the US in the style of cybernetics art movement for the organization’s 103rd Anniversary event. For both of these commissions Rihards also performed.
In parallel, he established his own project “Near Light Project” and “NAOTT,” a collaboration with saxophonist and musicologist Paul Meland. These projects were more of a creative outlet for Rihards’ own compositions and interest in Sound Ecology, experimental explorations in alternative ways to use the guitar and produce sound, multi-media collaborations and use of early medieval and renaissance music in contemporary settings.
As a teacher, Rihards has many years of experience teaching in a diverse array of genres, including, but not limited to: Jazz, Rock, Blues, Classical, Pop, R&B, Funk and Electronic Music. He offers both individual and group private lessons on guitar, ukulele, bass, composition and music theory. He has taught at Berklee College of Music Summer Programs and is currently on faculty at New England Conservatory Prep Division and Phillips Academy Andover.
Currently, Rihards is actively engaged in performing in Boston, MA and other parts of the US. He is a music teacher in multiple locations in the Greater Boston Area and is working on his next projects.
Notable achievements:
“Lielais Kristaps: Best Documentary Film” for music in film “Ruch’n’Norie” 2015
“Akka/Laa Copyright Infinity Award” for music in film “Ruch’n’Norie” 2016
“T-Bone Walker Award” for outstanding achievement at Berklee College of Music 2017
“Jimi Hendrix Award” for outstanding achievement at Berklee College of Music 2018
“Garrison Fewell Award” for outstanding achievement at Berklee College of Music 2018
Latvian Heritage Foundation award “Oskara Balva” for promoting and sustaining Latvian culture in Boston 2019
Honorable Mention for the “Ran Blake Foundation Award” 2021
Rihards began teaching in 2013 and joined Note-worthy Experiences in December 2024.
