Biographie
Estonian Grammy Award-winning conductor Paavo Järvi is widely recognized as the musicians' musician, enjoying close partnerships with the finest orchestras around the world.
After positions at the Stockholms Filharmoniska Orkester and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi was chief conductor of the Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2011, where he still has ties as "Music Director Laureate". In 2004, he took over the artistic direction of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and from 2006 to 2013 he has also been chief conductor of Sinfonieorchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, and from 2010 until 2016 he was music director of the Orchestre de Paris. In 2011 he founded in the city Pärnu in Estonia Estonian Festival Orchestra. Since the 2015/2016 season he is chief conductor the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, and in 2019 he has taken on the same role with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. The Estonian, who has been honored with numerous awards, is also a welcome guest at renowned orchestras such as the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He regularly appears with the Berliner Philharmoniker, where he made his debut in February 2000 and last conducted concerts in January 2020 with Hector Berlioz's Symphoniefantastique and the premiere of [error]'s Horn Concerto.
In addition to his permanent positions, Järvi is much in demand as a guest conductor, regularly appearing with the Berliner Philharmoniker, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Orchestre de Paris, where he served as Music Director from 2010 to 2016.
Each season concludes with a week of performances and conducting master-classes at the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia, which Paavo Järvi founded in 2011 together with his father, Neeme Järvi. The success of both the festival and its resident ensemble - the Estonian Festival Orchestra - has led to a string of high profile invitations including recent performances at the BBC Proms, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and a tour of Japan.
With an extensive discography, Paavo Järvi's recent releases include an album of little known orchestral music by Messiaen with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich; the third and final volume in the Johannes Brahms Symphony cycle with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen; and the world première recording of Erkki-Sven Tüür's 9th Symphony Mythos with the Estonian Festival Orchestra.
In 2019 Paavo Järvi was named Conductor of the Year by Germany's Opus Klassik (2019) and received the 2019 Rheingau Music Prize for his artistic achievements with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in the German orchestral and cultural landscape. Other prizes and honors include a Grammy Award for his recording of Jean Sibelius' Cantatas with the Eesti Riiklik Sümfooniaorkester, Artist of the Year by both Gramophone (UK) and Diapason (France) in 2015, and Commandeur de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to music in France. As a dedicated supporter of Estonian culture, he was awarded the Order of the White Star by the President of Estonia in 2013 and in 2015 he was presented with the Sibelius Medal in recognition of his work in bringing the Finnish composer's music to a wider public.
Paavo Järvi was born in Tallinn in 1962 and studied percussion and conducting at the conservatory in his home town. In 1980 he emigrated to the USA and completed his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and - with Leonard Bernstein - at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute.
