Ilze Urbane was born in Latvia in 1971. Started to play the flute at the age of seven at the Darzins Music School under Imants Sneibis. Graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music (the flute class of Vilnis Strautins, 1992). Then she continued at the Southern Methodist University (Dallas, USA), the Julliard School in New York (prof.Carol Wincenc), perfected her knowledge at Trevor Wye's Studio in England and at James Galway in Switzerland.
Ms. Urbane is a prizewinner of several international competitions: the second prize of the Concertino Praga International Competition (1986), the first prize of the All-Union Competition in the former USSR (1987), the second prize of the International Competition in Bern (Switzerland, 2000).
Ms.Urbane has been performing in the USA, France, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia and Japan.
In 1997 she recorded her first solo CD for Annemarie Classics (BMG) Company.
She played in different USA orchestras and appeared as a soloist with prominent European orchestras, such as the Moscow Virtuosi under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov or KREMERata Baltica under Gidon Kremer.
Currently Ms. Urbane is a soloist at the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and a professor at the Latvia Academy of Music. She is performing as a soloist and as a member of different chamber ensembles.
