Foto: Kaupo Kikkas
Tõnu Kaljuste continues as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. The first concert of this season will be given together with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the leading baroque orchestra of Europe Concerto Copenhagen. The programme “Pärt & Händel” will be performed in 25 August at St Paul’s Church in the programme of Tartu 2024, the European Capital of Culture and in 2 September at 19 St John’s Church, Tallinn as the opening concert of Pärt Days.
Tõnu Kaljuste founded the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) in 1981 with singers of the chamber choir Ellerhein. He was the choir’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for 20 years, moulding it into a highly professional ensemble with a unique signature sound and decades-long international reputation as Estonia’s treasured musical ambassador. After 20 years Kaljuste in the 2021-2022 season he returning as Principal Conductor and now continues up to the end of the season 2025/2026.
In his future plans Tõnu Kaljuste points out the mutual programs of the EPCC and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (TCO).
“To me, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra form a creative whole, which I show also to the audience,” says Kaljuste. He highlights the programs developed in collaboration between the choir and the orchestra, mentioning composer evenings dedicated to Erkki-Sven Tüür, Pärt Uusberg, and Kristjan Randalu, a Christmas program featuring music by Haydn and Mozart, a series of New Year Cantatas by Bach and James MacMillan’s “Stabat Mater.”
Regarding the activities of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Kaljuste emphasizes a program of Arvo Pärt’s music for choir and organ, which will be performed in various venues in Germany and Paris. “The upcoming concerts are with the Japanese multitalent Ryoji Ikeda in Tartu and the Greek composer Savvas Karantziase both in Rhodes and Tallinn,” adds Kaljuste.
Tõnu Kaljuste is one of the pathfinders of Estonian professional choral culture and one of the creators of Estonia’s world renown as a top-quality land of music. He has spearheaded collaborations with the composers Veljo Tormis and Arvo Pärt that have shaped musical history. He has presented the music of Tormis and Pärt across the world and taken the EPCC and the TCO to leading concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Centre in Washington, Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris, Konzerthaus Berlin and others. His most historic achievement to date is the Grammy for Best Choral Performance for the Arvo Pärt album Adam’s Lament in 2014. His recordings have had several Grammy nominations and won several other prestigious prizes such as the Cannes Classical Award (1999), Diapason d’Or (2000), Edison Musical Award (2000) and Classic BRIT Award (2003), Prix Caecilia (2023). He has recorded for the ECM Records, Virgin Classic, BIS and Caprice Records labels.
Tõnu Kaljuste is the founder of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (1993). In the years 2022–2024 he was the Artistic Director of the Tallinn Philharmonic Society, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Birgitta Festival. He served as Professor and Chair of the Conducting Faculty of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre from 2010 to 2020. Kaljuste has also been the Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Swedish Radio Choir. Kaljuste has served as Artistic Director of Nargen Opera, the project theatre that he launched, since 2004 and led Nargenfestival, a notable event in Estonia’s music calendar, since 2006.