Hailed by the international press as “charismatic and energetic”, Tõnu Kaljuste is recognized both as a choir and orchestra conductor worldwide. He is a frequent guest conductor of orchestras and chamber choirs worldwide and performed in the major music centres and at renowned festivals worldwide.
Founder of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste is a staunch ally and committed advocate for the work of Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Veljo Tormis and Heino Eller. He has collaborated closely with great composers of modernism in Northern and Eastern Europe such as Alfred Schnittke, György Kurtag, Krzysztof Penderecki and Giya Kancheli.
From the season 2021/22 Tõnu Kaljuste is again Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the EPCC. At the same time he holds the position of Artistic Director of the Tallinn Philharmonic Society and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra since 2019/20. Kaljuste has been Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir and is Conductor Laureate of the Swedish Radio Choir since 2019.
Numerous recordings of Kaljuste’s extensive discography for ECM Records, BIS, Caprice Records and Virgin Classics were nominated for the Grammy in various categories and have also other awards such as Cannes Classical Award, Diapason d’Or, Edison Prize and Classic Brit Award. For the Arvo Pärt album Adam’s Lament the Estonian conductor was awarded the Grammy Award 2014 in the category ‘Best Choir Performance’. In 2019 Tõnu Kaljuste won the ICMA Award for the album of Arvo Pärt’s Symphonies No. 1-4 with the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since 2004 Tõnu Kaljuste has been Artistic Director of Nargen Opera in Estonia featuring the Nargen Festival with music and opera productions, concerts and exhibitions during the summer. The festival is preceded by the Cyrillus Kreek Days in June and followed by the Arvo Pärt Days in September. He collaborates closely with the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm.
Tõnu Kaljuste is a member of the Royal Music Academy of Sweden, recipient of the Japanese ABC Music Award and the Robert Edler Prize.
Season 2021/22
Read moreOn 2 September Tõnu Kaljuste conducts the opening concert of the Arvo Pärt Festival in Tallinn with the Estonian National Symphony, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and soloists. The programme features Pärt: Litany, Cantique des degrés and Lamentate.
On 15 April Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Turku Philharmonic & Choirs featuring Arvo Pärt:Trisagion and Giacomo Puccini: Messa di Gloria.
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir launches its own web channel www.epcc.tv on 30 April, 18:00 (CET) with a contemporary Baltic programme at Estonian Concert Hall Tallinn in collaboration with the Estonian National Symphony at the Estonian | Baltic Music Days.
View a short portrait by Tonu Kaljuste in German: https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/mare_tv/Die-Bucht-von-Tallinn-Estlands-Magnet-am-Meer,sendung568082.html (23:00-27:00)
On 26 March, 20:00 (CET) the Elbphilharmonie is streaming a recent concert of Tonu Kaljuste, Tallinn
Chamber Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with an Arvo Pärt Portrait within the weekly project of ECHO:
Enjoy this concert!
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts an Arvo Pärt portrait at Hamburg Elbphilharmonie on 3 February with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Chor within the ECM festival Reflektor Manfred Eicher.
Tonu Kaljuste is at the rostrum of Swedish Radio Symphony and Choir in Stockholm on 18, 19 and 20 December to conduct the traditional christmas concerts with music by J.S. Bach, Britten, Olsson, Sköld, Vaughan Williams, Köhler, Pärt, Gardner, Bissell and Sibelius.
Tõnu Kaljuste has been appointed Conductor Laureate of the Swedish Radio Choir. From 1995-2001 he held the position of Chief Conductor and has afterwards maintained a very strong relationship with the ensemble. He conducts a tour with the choir in Germany in May 2020.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the oratorio Joonas by Tobias Rudolf with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and four choirs in Tallinn on 9 October in English language in the final concert of the Nargen Festival.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and soloists in two concerts at Arvo Pärt Festival in Estonia on 9 and 10 September in Viljandi und Tartu with a "Best of Arvo Pärt" programme.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Swedish Radio Choir at the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm on 28 August. The
programme features Sven-David Sandström's In paradisum Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae and Rachmaninov's Vespers op. 37 in memoriam M/S Estonia 25 years ago. SR broadcasts the concert live at 18:55: https://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/1350798?programid=4427 and in livestream: https://www.berwaldhallen.se/ostersjofestivalen/onsdag-28-augusti/
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts Orchestra and Choir of the Norrlandsopera in Umea on 16 May featuring Schönberg: Chamber Symphony No.1 op. 9, Brahms: Five Songs op. 104, Alma Mahler/Staffan Storm: Five Songs, Brahms: Schicksalslied and Schönberg: Kol Nidre.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Gulbenkian Orchestra and Chorus with soloists in Lisbon on 5 April featuring Arvo Pärt's Adam's Lament and Tigran Mansurian's Requiem.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir at the Perth Festival in two concerts on 15 February with Arvo Pärt's Kanon Pokajanen and on 16 February featuring "Nordic Lights" with music by Rautavaara, Veljo Tormis, Pärt, Britten and Raymond Murray Schafer.
Tonu Kaljuste's recording of Arvo Pärt's Symphonies No.1-4 for ECM Records with the Wroclaw Philharmonic has won the ICMA Award 2019 in the category Contemporary Music.
Further to the highly acclaimed CD recording of Arvo Pärt's four symphonies on ECM Records with the Wroclaw Philharmonic, Tonu Kaljuste conducts a promotional concert with the CD programme and Arvo Pärt's Swansong for orchestra in Wroclaw on 5 October.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Swedish Radio Choir and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir at Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm within an hommage to Eric Ericson
(100 year of birth) on 28 August. The programme features music by Veljo Tormis, Lars Edlund, Ingvar Lidholm, Richard Strauss and Arnold Schönberg. SR2 broadcasts the concert live at 18:55 (CET): sverigesradio.se/p2live
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 15 September featuring A cappella music by Arvo Pärt, Luciano Berio, Veljo Tormis and Lars Johan Werle.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts a birthday concert for Arvo Pärt with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and soloists with a J.S.Bach-Arvo Pärt programme in Tallinn on 11 September.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts this production of Arvo Pärt and Robert Wilson set by "Adam's Lament", "Miserere", "Tabula rasa" and "Sequentia" with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and four actors in Berlin on 27, 28 and 29 March.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the NDR Choir in three concerts from 9-11 March in Oldenburg, Itzehoe and Hamburg. They perform A cappella music by Krzysztof Penderecki, Arvo Pärt, Sergei Tanejew, Raymond Murray Schafer and Veljo Tormis.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts two concerts with the Brussels Philharmonic and Flemish Radio Choir in Brussels on 26 January and in Antwerp on 27 January within the
festivities on the 100th anniversary of Estonia with works by Peteris Vasks, Magnus Lindberg and Arvo Pärt.Klara Radio broadcasts the concert on 27 January live at 20:00-22:00: klara.be/klaraindesingel
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts the revival of the scenic production Nativity Words presenting works by Veljo Tormis with the Estonian National Male Choir,
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, actors of von Krahl Theatre Tallinn and others at the Nargenfestival in Tallinn from 2-8 August. Stage direction: Peeter Jalakas.
Read moreTonu Kaljuste’s recent CD Gesualdo featuring music by Brett Dean, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir on ECM Records has been nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Classical Compendium.
Read moreTonu Kaljuste is on the rostrum of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra Ireland in Dublin on 28 October joined by the RTE Philharmonic Choir featuring an Arvo Pärt programme: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, Tabula Rasa, Salve regina and Adam’s Lament.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the opening concert of the Arvo Pärt festival in Tallinn on 2 September featuring the Estonian first performance of Greater Antiphones for string
orchestra with the Estonian National Symphony and soloists. On 11 September Tonu Kaljuste performs Fratres and Te Deum among others within the closing concert in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the tintinnabuli style.
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts the opening concert of the Nargen Festival with works of Estonian Tonu Korvits (new CD programme) together with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and soloists in Tallinn on 6 June.
Tonu Kaljuste conducts the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra in Oslo in an manifold programme with works by Brett Dean, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Arvo Pärt and Tonu Korvits
joined by The Norwegian Soloists‘ Choir and cellist Anja Lechner in Oslo on 22 March.
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in Reykjavik on 3 March in a programme with Arvo Pärt, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten as well as Te Deum, and Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3.
ECM Records has released the new CD Mirror with works by Tonu Korvits with Tonu Kaljuste, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Anja Lechner.
The new CD by Tonu Kaljuste with works by Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa, Brett Dean and Erkki-Sven Tüür together with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra by ECM Records
has been chosen as Record of the month by Musikweb International.
Read moreTonu Kaljuste conducts Händel’s Messiah on 3 December with Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir/Cathedral Choir in Kristiansand, Norway.
Tõnu Kaljuste conducts at the Dvorak Festival Prague on 21 September a portrait of Arvo Pärt with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic
Chamber Choir featuring Fratres, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, Adam's Lament, Salve Regina and Te Deum.
Read moreTõnu Kaljuste conducts at the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm on 29 August an homage to Arvo Pärt: The programme includes the symphonies No. 1-4 and one of his latest orchestral works, Swansong.
Kaljuste performs the premiere of the music theatre production “Adam’s Passion” (direction: Robert Wilson) with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn
Chamber Orchestra, soloists, actors and dancers in Tallinn on 12 May. Further performances take place on 13, 14 and 16 May.
Read moreTõnu Kaljuste conducts the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Swedish Radio Choir in an entire Arvo Pärt programme in Stockholm on 9 May with following pieces: Dopo la Vittoria, Salve Regina and Adam’s Lament.
Tõnu Kaljuste conducts the final concert of an Arvo Pärt festival with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España in Madrid on 14 March. The Carte Blanche includes Orient & Occident, Te Deum, Cantus, Salve Regina, Adam’s Lament and 2 Wiegenlieder.
Tonu Kaljuste gives his debut with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI Torino on 6 February, 20.30 hours. The programme features Claudio Ambrosini, Canzon XIII,
Canzon I, Sonata XIX ,Einojuhani Rautavaara, Cantus Arcticus op. 61, Sofia Gubaidulina Offertorium for violin and orchestra as well as the Italian first performance of Arvo Pärt’s Swansong and is live transmitted on RAI 3: http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/popup/player_radio.html?v=3
Read moreTõnu Kaljuste gives his debut with the Malmö Opera Orchestra in a concert on 27 November. Together with the opera choir and soloists he performs Mozart’s Requiem as
well as Schönberg’s Friede auf Erden (orchestral version) and John Adams’ choral works of The Death of Klinghoffer.
Read moreThe Estonian conductor is for the first time at the rostrum of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus with two concerts in Edinburgh Queen's Hall and Glasgow City Halls
on 23 and 24 October. He presents a programme, that contrasts works by Arvo Pärt (Solfeggio and Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten) with Haydn's Symphony No 90 and the Harmoniemesse.
Read moreUnder the baton of Tõnu Kaljuste, the choir will perform Arvo Pärt's sacred master piece Kanon Pokajanen at Wroclaw's University Church on September 7. Further concerts on September 6 and 8 in Lower Silesia. In 1998
ECM released a recording of the Canon of Repentance sung by the EPCC under Tõnu Kaljuste, the choir's chief conductor at that time, one of the most highly valued CD recordings of the choir.
Read moreEstonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra
ECM (2016)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra
ECM (2015)