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Aija Draguns is a Sydney-based emerging conductor and composer, with a special passion for vocal music. Her compositions are inspired by her Latvian heritage, specifically from the folk and choral genres. Born in 1999, Aija studied piano, saxophone, and choral singing. She attended Sydney Conservatorium of Music, completing a Bachelor and Honours degrees in music composition.

In 2023, Aija was selected as a one of four composers to partake in the two-year "Words, Text, Voices, Music" program at the Conservatorium, as part of her Master of Music (Composition) research with Paul Stanhope, specializing in language in vocal music.

Aija's vocal compositions have been programmed by The Australian Voices, Sydney Philharmonia choirs, Sydney Conservatorium choirs, National Youth Choir of Australia, Konzertprojekt, Trinitiy Grammar School choir, Coro innominata, the Australian Latvian Cultural Festival, The House that Dan Built, and Melbourne Latvian choir (Daina). She also works as an orchestral arranger, writing for "Queen Orchestrated" and "David Bowie Orchestrated" shows, performed around Australia. Most recently, Aija premiered in Sydney Town Hall with her first orchestral piece "Lavender Paper Cranes", performed by Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as Sydney Opera House with a new children's opera "Max and Moritz", performed by Musgrove Opera.

An active singer herself, Aija recently represented Australia in the televised Latvian diaspora event in Riga, singing one of her works live.

As well as composing, Aija is an orchestral and choral conductor, recently awarded the 'Create NSW conducting fellowship for 2022-23' with Sydney Youth Orchestras. She also completed a fellowship with Sam Weller and Ensemble Apex, and recently premiered her first full orchestral program with Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra. As well as working with community orchestras, Aija regularly conducts community choirs around Sydney and Melbourne, including the Sydney Latvian Male Choir: the longest running diaspora Latvian male choir in the world. For various years, Aija has also worked under Paul Stanhope, assisting with the Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Choir.

To Aija, composing and conducting go hand-in-hand, providing unique insight into each artform, which she hopes to share with her players, singers, and audiences.

Biography provided by the composer — current to March 2024