DaGamba

Instrumental band DaGamba, consisting of three members - 2 cellists and 1 electric-beatcellist, emerged in 2011, when highly skilled academic musicians and childhood friends Valters Puce, Antons Trocjuks and Richard Cherenkov decided to unite their musical talents and create a band. Their music is a mix between rock, hip hop, classical music and sampled cello beats. Most of the music and sounds are exclusively cello-based.

Valters Puce, graduated from Music School of Emils Darzins, studied in Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, in the cello class of Eleonora Testeleca at Latvian Music Academy and also at the High School of Music and Arts in Leipzig with professor Piter Brun. Now he is doing his Master’s in Brussels Royal Academy of Music with professor Jeroen Reuling.

Valters has received many awards of international contests and festivals. Amongst them are: Concertino Prague, International contest of cellists of August Dombrovskis and Music World 2000 Festival Internazionale Fivizzano. As a solo cellist Valters has played not only in Latvia, but also in Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic and Denmark.

He has perfected his mastery with such world-class cello players as: Franz Helmerson, Misha Maiski, Maksim Utkin, Bernard Greenhous and Tilman Vik.

Besides DaGamba Valters has taken part in other music projects. He collaborated with a Georgian ethno-jazz band The Shin and also played with Normund Shne and Sinfonietta Riga chamber orchestra.

Antons Trocjuks studied at the music school of Emils Darzins and then at the music college of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in St.Petersburg. Now he is studing at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in the cello class of Eleonora Testeleca.

Antons owns many prestigious awards of such cellists’ contests as: Talants Latvijai, contest of Igor Marvinski in St.Petersburg, contest of young cellists J.F. Docauer in Germany, Karl Davidov contest in Latvia, international contest Virtuosos of XXI century in Moscow, International Music Tournament in Germany, and also Competition For Musicians Of All Instruments in Italy. Antons continued his cello studies with Mstislav Rostropovich and Natalia Shovskaya.

Richard Cherenkov currently is a Master’s student at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music. Although his first music instrument is cello, Richard has been working in the field of electronic music and samples' production since 2004.

His work as a music producer and composer has made UK Top 40, UK Download Top 40, Billboard Charts whereas the samples he designed appeared in world’s top selling albums including Timbaland’s Shock Value, The E.N.D. by the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna’s Loud and many more.

Richard has composed music for several international film projects.