Lolita Ritmanis

Lolita Ritmanis (born November 1, 1962) is a Latvian-American composer, known for her film and television scores, including her work on the animated series Batman Beyond. Early life Born on November 1, 1962, in Portland, Oregon, Ritmanis is the daughter of Dr. Andris Ritmanis and Asja Ritmanis, who fled Latvia during World War II and immigrated to the US in 1949. Ritmanis has a sister, Brigita Ritmanis-Jameson, and a brother, Alberts Ritmanis. Throughout her childhood Ritmanis studied piano, flute, guitar, and voice, performing in both jazz and classical music ensembles. Ritmanis composed her first song at age 11. By age 16 she had toured the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, composing for and performing with the Latvian popular music group "Dzintars" ("Amber"). Latvian song festivals throughout the world provided Ritmanis with the opportunity to conduct and perform her works before larger audiences. Ritmanis graduated from Cleveland High School in Portland, Oregon in 1980. She moved to Los Angeles to study at the Dick Grove School Of Music, where she graduated from both the Composition Program and the Film Music Composition Program, studying with composers Dick Grove, Mundell Lowe, Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, Allyn Ferguson, and Jack Feierman, among others. Ritmanis also studied privately with teachers Mauro Bruno, Gibner King, and Matt Dennis.