Conductor Kaspars Putninš has been one of the most visible figures in the resurgence of choral music in the Baltic countries. He has been the permanent conductor of the Latvian Radio Choir since 1994.

Putninš was born in Riga, Latvia, on October 26, 1966. He has appeared widely in western Europe as well as the Baltic countries, conducting such groups as the RIAS Kammerchor, NDR Radio Choir Hamburg, and the Netherlands Radio Choir, among others. He has made multiple visits to the Swedish Radio Choir and NDR Radio Choir Hamburg, and he led the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir on a tour of several major European cities.

Putninš has performed choral music from periods dating back to the Renaissance, but he has specialized in the commissioning and realization of new choral music. Putninš has developed relationships with Baltic and Nordic composers such as Maija Einfelde, Martinš Vilums, and Gundega Šmite, as well as Gavin Bryars, and has set standards with his interpretations. He has also made several acclaimed recordings with the Latvian Radio Choir for BIS and other labels; his recording debut came in 2002 with that group on BIS in a recording of Peteris Vasks' Mate Saule.

In 2014, Putninš added the artistic directorship and the chief conductor post of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir to his responsibilities, and he established the Tenso Europe Chamber Choir, a youth ensemble with a rotating membership. He modeled the group on western European youth choirs and served as its conductor from 2013 to 2017, continuing to make conducting appearances there afterward. He has also worked with western European choirs, including the Bachakademie Stuttgart, Vocaal Talent, and Meesters Gezellen, leading performances and giving master classes to young conductors.

In 2017, BIS released his recording of Alfred Schnittke's Psalms of Repentance. He has also recorded Rachmaninov's The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with the Flemish Radio Choir for the Glossa label, and BIS issued his Rachmaninov Vespers with the Netherlands Radio Choir. In 2022, Putninš released a pair of recordings on BIS, both with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; one featured Rachmaninov's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and the other, Ülo Krigul: Liquid Turns, also included the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.

Putninš has been awarded the Latvian Grand Prix of Music and the Latvian Council of Ministers Award for Achievements in Culture and Science. ~ James Manheim, Rovi