Fresh from winning the prestigious Third International Gustav Mahler conducting competition in March 2010 - of which the Financial Times described the jury's decision as "a vote for truth and substance" - young Latvian conductor Ainārs Rubiķis has many high profile engagements in the pipeline.

Plans for 2010/11 season include his UK debut with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Heidelberg Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Orchestre du Pays de la Loire, Estonian National, Bamberg Symphony, Budapest Philharmonic and numerous performances of Don Giovanni at Latvian National Opera as well as a return to the Lockenhaus Festival. Future plans include Hong Kong Philharmonic, Northern Sinfonia, Brussels Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and Oslo Philharmonic.