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Tõnu Kaljuste
Tõnu Kaljuste has gained international recognition with his diverse repertoire, which ranges from operas and classical symphonic works to contemporary music. He has worked with major modernist composers of Northern and Eastern Europe, such as Alfred Schnittke, György Kurtág, Krzysztof Penderecki, Giya Kancheli, and Einojuhani Rautavaara, and is recognised as an expert interpreter and advocate of Estonian composers, including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Tõnu Kõrvits, Veljo Tormis, and Heino Eller.
Biography
From the Ondine artist archive. Appointments and season references reflect the original biography.
Kaljuste got Grammy for Best Choral Performance for the Arvo Pärt album Adam’s Lament in 2014. His recordings have had a number of Grammy nominations in various categories from opera (David and Bathsheba by the Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg) to symphonic music. In 2019 he won the International Classical Music Award for the recording of Arvo Pärt’s symphonies with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra. Kaljuste’s recordings have won also other several prestigious prizes such as the Cannes Classical Award (1999), Diapason d’Or (2000), Edison Musical Award (2000), Classic BRIT Award (2003), Prix Caecilia (2023).
He has recorded for the ECM Records, Virgin Classic, BIS and Caprice Records labels. Tõnu Kaljuste founded the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra in 1993 and returned to be its chief conductor and artistic director from 2019 to 2024. In 1981, Kaljuste founded the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and, after a 20-year break, returned as its chief conductor and artistic director in August 2021. He is the founder and artistic director of the project theatre Nargen Opera (established in 2004) and has led the Nargenfestival since 2006.