SHORT BIO

 

Kārlis Auziņš is one of the brightest saxophonists and composers of contemporary, jazz and improvised music in the Baltics. In year 2025 he has received the highest Latvian state award in music "Latvian Grand Music Award" for outstanding performance in Jazz, in 2023 he was nominated for the same award for outstanding performance through the year. 
Graduated from Amsterdam Conservatory (Bachelor's degree) and Copenhagen Rhythmic Music Conservatory (Master's degree).
Kārlis stands out for his originality, creativity and energetic emotional saturation both in his composition and in his playing manner. Currently, he is an active member of Latvian, European and Scandinavian jazz, contemporary and improvised music scene both as a performer and a composer. 
 

In 2017, Kārlis released his debut album "Images in Regard of The Central Reference System", which was nominated both as the best jazz album of the year and as the best debut in the Latvian Grammy Award "Zelta Mikrofons". In 2019, his solo album "Oneness And the Transcendent Truth" was also nominated as the best jazz music album, while Auziņš⋅Čudars⋅Arutyunyan's album "Baltic" (2018) won the main prize in the same nomination.

With Keno Harriehausen Quartet has been a laureate in several international jazz music ensemble competitions.

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Currently, Kārlis is mainly known from such projects as Kārlis Auziņš trio and double trio, "String of Winds" (trio + string quartet), Auziņš⋅Čudars⋅Arutyunyan, Kārlis Auziņš Quartet, Mount Meander, Keno Harriehausen Quartet, Own Your Bones, Kārlis Auziņš Solo, Kārlis Auziņš / Rihards Plešanovs. All have been documented in albums that have been praised by music critics worldwide.

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Kārlis has played with such musicians as Carsten Dahl, Jakob Høyer, Artur Tuznik, Michael Moore, Achim Kaufman, Emanuele Maniscalco (ECM), Clemens van der Feen, etc.