Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra head to Asia
Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra return to South Korea this October for a second tour, before making their long-awaited debut in China. The journey which starts in Tallinn, encompasses Incheon, Seoul, Shanghai, Wuxi and Beijing, with programmes that place the great Romantic repertoire alongside the distinctive voices of contemporary Estonian music.
The tour opens in Tallinn on 14 October, before continuing to Incheon and Seoul, where the programmes bring together music by Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür, Sibelius and Brahms, with violinist Clara-Jumi Kang as soloist.
On 22 October, the orchestra arrives in China for its debut at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, presenting Tüür’s Passion and Illusion, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with pianist Alexandre Kantorow, and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony. Further concerts follow in Wuxi and Beijing, with Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten joining the repertoire alongside works by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Sibelius.
The tour showcases the distinctive musical identity of the orchestra, rooted in Estonia and the Nordic tradition while embracing the wider European repertoire. For the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the Chinese debut marks a significant new step in its growing international presence under under the leadership of founder and Artistic Director Paavo Järvi.
Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra head to Asia
Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra return to South Korea this October for a second tour, before making their long-awaited debut in China. The journey which starts in Tallinn, encompasses Incheon, Seoul, Shanghai, Wuxi and Beijing, with programmes that place the great Romantic repertoire alongside the distinctive voices of contemporary Estonian music.
The tour opens in Tallinn on 14 October, before continuing to Incheon and Seoul, where the programmes bring together music by Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür, Sibelius and Brahms, with violinist Clara-Jumi Kang as soloist.
On 22 October, the orchestra arrives in China for its debut at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, presenting Tüür’s Passion and Illusion, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with pianist Alexandre Kantorow, and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony. Further concerts follow in Wuxi and Beijing, with Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten joining the repertoire alongside works by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Sibelius.
The tour showcases the distinctive musical identity of the orchestra, rooted in Estonia and the Nordic tradition while embracing the wider European repertoire. For the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the Chinese debut marks a significant new step in its growing international presence under under the leadership of founder and Artistic Director Paavo Järvi.
Estonia Festival Orchestra Nominated for Edison Klassiek 2026
The Estonia Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi, has been nominated for the Edison Klassiek 2026 award in the Orkest (Orchestra) category for its recording of Arvo Pärt’s Credo.
The Edison is the highest distinction in the Dutch music industry and, after the Grammys, the oldest music prize in the world. Since its debut in 1960, an Edison represents artistic excellence.
CREDO – ALPHA CLASSICS RUSH-RELEASE NEW RECORDING FOR ARVO PÄRT’S 90TH BIRTHDAY
Credo is the title of Paavo Järvi’s new recording with the Estonian Festival Orchestra, recorded live at this summer’s Pärnu Music Festival and featuring ten of Arvo Pärt’s iconic works, including the world premiere recording of Silouette, dedicated to and premiered by Paavo Järvi in 2010 and Credo, the work famously premiered by his father Neeme, in 1968. The album will be released on 5 September by Alpha Classics, just in time for Pärt’s 90th birthday on 11 September .
ESTONIAN MUSIC AWARDS 2025: CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR GOES TO “SHIP OF FOOLS”
Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s recording Ship of Fools, has won Classical Album of the Year at the prestigious Estonian Music Awards (EMA) – Estonia’s equivalent to the Grammys. The recording is dedicated to new works by Jüri Reinevere, all premièred and recorded at the Pärnu Music Festival.
Estonia Festival Orchestra Nominated for Edison Klassiek 2026
The Estonia Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi, has been nominated for the Edison Klassiek 2026 award in the Orkest (Orchestra) category for its recording of Arvo Pärt’s Credo.
The Edison is the highest distinction in the Dutch music industry and, after the Grammys, the oldest music prize in the world. Since its debut in 1960, an Edison represents artistic excellence.
CREDO – ALPHA CLASSICS RUSH-RELEASE NEW RECORDING FOR ARVO PÄRT’S 90TH BIRTHDAY
Credo is the title of Paavo Järvi’s new recording with the Estonian Festival Orchestra, recorded live at this summer’s Pärnu Music Festival and featuring ten of Arvo Pärt’s iconic works, including the world premiere recording of Silouette, dedicated to and premiered by Paavo Järvi in 2010 and Credo, the work famously premiered by his father Neeme, in 1968. The album will be released on 5 September by Alpha Classics, just in time for Pärt’s 90th birthday on 11 September .
ESTONIAN MUSIC AWARDS 2025: CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR GOES TO “SHIP OF FOOLS”
Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s recording Ship of Fools, has won Classical Album of the Year at the prestigious Estonian Music Awards (EMA) – Estonia’s equivalent to the Grammys. The recording is dedicated to new works by Jüri Reinevere, all premièred and recorded at the Pärnu Music Festival.
