JÃÂzeps Vëtols Latvian Academy of Music (), formerly the Riga Conservatory, is a higher music conservatory in Riga, Latvia. The junior institute is the Emëls DÃÂrzià Âà ¡ Music School.
The Latvian Conservatory of Music was founded in 1919 by Latvian composer JÃÂzeps Vëtols, who became the first director of the Latvian National Opera. He remained director until 1944, excepting 1935âÂÂ1937 when the director was his choral assistant Pauls Jozuus. Junior and senior courses covered around 9 to 10 academic years. Beginning in 1940, the structure of the conservatory changed: lower junior courses were transferred to the secondary education system and later became a base for JÃÂzeps Medià Âà ¡'s and Emëls DÃÂrzià Âà ¡'s secondary schools of music. Higher courses were offered in the conservatory. Beginning 1 October 1951 LPSR Institute of Theater was attached to the conservatory, reorganizing it to a faculty of theater with departments for acting and directing. In May 1958 it was renamed JÃÂzeps Vëtols Latvian conservatory. In January 1964 the conservatory was momentarily renamed to J. Vëtols Latvian institute of Art, but in July the earlier name returned to the earlier name.
The Academy is divided into the following departments:
The following have been Academy Rectors:
Là «cija Garà «ta taught composition and music theory from 1940 and was elected to a professorship in 1960.
During the republic, the State Conservatory had only one Jewish professor of music, Adolf Metz, head of the violin department. Many Jewish students emigrated to Lithuania.