One of the nation’s most beloved singers, Jānis Zābers, was born on 11 August 1935 in the Meirāni Civil Parish of Madona County as second son in the family of Oskars and Emma Zāberi, who lived on a farm known as “The Old Kiln”. He studied at Meirāni Elementary School and Lubāna Secondary School. In 1954, he was accepted into Jāzeps Mediņš Musical School. In 1957, he joined the National Conservatory of Latvia named after Jāzeps Vītols. Having graduated from the conservatory, Zābers went to Italy, the land of his dreams, to finish his vocal training. At La Scala, he developed his vocal technique and studied opera roles. The year 1965 brought the singer several different roles in original operas written by Latvian composers. One such example was the role of Antiņš, expressly written for him by composer Arvīds Žilinskis in the opera “The Golden Horse”. In addition to his work at the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the singer toured Latvia with concerts. There were also a few outings to neighbouring republics and further abroad, where his singing was always received with ovation. The very same year, he was awarded the honorary title of the Merited Stage Artist of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. In the fall of 1969, the singer began to suffer from memory loss and fatigue, which signalled the onset of a debilitating terminal disease. Jānis Zābers died on 25 March 1973 in Rīga. He is buried in the Forest Cemetery. Such a short yet vivid life!

The name of Zābers remains in the history anneals of world culture. However, the public mostly remembers him for his Latvian solo songs, lauded as the pearls of Latvian classical composers. His legacy also includes a number of excellently performed arias.