Contestant

Toms Rudzinskis

Latvia

Bio

One of the most innovative jazz saxophone players in Latvia who has found his unique sound not only through playing the instrument, but also as a composer. Though he has already graduated from the prestigious Amsterdam School of the Arts, he still resides in the Netherlands. He has collaborated with countless musicians from different continents and has performed in Spain, Iceland, Georgia, Curaçao, Portugal, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Baltic States and elsewhere. He is the winner of several contests, like the 2010 bigband contest “Meer Jazz” (best soloist award) and 2012 "North by Northeast" (with a quartet). He also received the best band award in the prestigious "Keep an Eye" contest. Toms has also been selected as the jazz ambassador of the Amsterdam concert hall "Bimhuis". In 2013, "Matiss Cudars quartet" (Toms is part of the quartet) received the Grand Prix of the "Burghausen Jazz Competition" and the chance to perform together with Cassandra Wilson.