Kristjan Järvi

When Järvi was age 7, his family emigrated to the United States and settled in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. He became an American citizen in 1985.{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06EEDB153BF93BA25757C0A9629C8B63 | title=A Maestro And His Plans For Reshaping An Orchestra | work=New York Times | author=Brian Wise | date=2004-04-18 | access-date=2008-11-04}} He grew up in New York City. Järvi studied piano with Nina Svetlanova at the Manhattan School of Music. He later went on to study conducting at the University of Michigan under Kenneth Kiesler.

From 1998 to 2000, Järvi was Assistant Conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He and the composer Gene Pritsker co-founded the Absolute Ensemble, based in New York City, in 1993, with Järvi as its music director.{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407EED71131F93AA25750C0A9609C8B63 | title=A Premiere for the State And for the New Conductor | work=New York Times | author=Brian Wise | date=2006-03-19 | access-date=2009-10-02}}{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E7DF1131F934A15753C1A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | title=Putting Music Back Together Again | work=New York Times | author=Anthony Tommasini | date=2000-10-27 | access-date=2008-04-22}} In 2007, Järvi and the Absolute Ensemble were awarded the Deutsche Bank Prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement.

Järvi was Chief Conductor and Music Director of NorrlandsOperan from 2000 to 2004. From 2004 to 2009, Järvi was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna.{{cite news | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/3519.html | title=Kristjan Järvi Extends Contract With Austria's Tonkünstler Orchestra | work=Playbill Arts | author=Ben Mattison | date=2005-12-20 | access-date=2008-04-22}} Järvi is also the current Artistic Advisor to the Kammerorchester Basel and the conductor and founder of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic (formerly Baltic Youth Philharmonic). In April 2011, Järvi was appointed the next chief conductor of the MDR Symphony Orchestra effective with the 2012–2013 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.{{cite press release | title=MDR stellt neuen Chefdirigenten vor | url=http://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/artikel111052.html | publisher=MDR | date=18 April 2011 | access-date=2011-11-06 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402172413/http://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/artikel111052.html | archive-date=2 April 2012 }}{{cite news | url=http://nachrichten.lvz-online.de/kultur/news/kristjan-jaervi-soll-das-mdr-sinfonieorchester-modernisieren/r-news-a-84562.html | title=Kristjan Järvi soll das MDR-Sinfonieorchester modernisieren | work=Leipziger Volkszeitung | date=2011-04-18 | access-date=2011-11-06}} His MDR contract was extended in 2015. In March 2017, the MDR announced that is to conclude his MDR Symphony Orchestra after the close of the 2017–2018 season.{{cite press release | url=http://www.mdr.de/kultur/themen/jaervi-letzte-spielzeit-100.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403045731/http://www.mdr.de/kultur/themen/jaervi-letzte-spielzeit-100.html |archive-date=3 April 2017 | title=WSO Letzte Spielzeit für Kristjan Järvi | publisher=MDR | date=22 March 2017 | access-date=2017-04-08}}

In addition to a Grammy nomination, Järvi has previously been awarded the German Record Critics Prize and a Swedish Grammy for the recording of Hilding Rosenberg's opera "Isle of Bliss". He has recorded Leonard Bernstein's Mass with the Tonkünstler Orchestra and Absolute Ensemble.{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article5753576.ece | title=Kristjan Järvi: Bernstein Mass | work=The Times | author=Geoff Brown | date=2009-02-21 | access-date=2009-09-23}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} While Järvi's repertoire includes pieces from the Classic and Romantic periods, he is also a specialist for 20th-century composers and contemporary music, having commissioned works by Arvo Pärt, Heinz Karl Gruber, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Ezequiel Viñao, Peeter Vähi, Dave Soldier, Joe Zawinul, Stefano Bollani and Gediminas Gelgotas among others. In 2014, Järvi and the French record label Naïve Classique launched the 'Kristjan Järvi Sound Project', an ongoing series featuring recordings from all of Järvi's ensembles.

Järvi defies musical orthodoxy and pursues his pioneering ideas and concepts with three bands and orchestras: Together with Gene Pritsker he co-founded the New York-based classical-hip-hop-jazz group “Absolute Ensemble”. Järvi is founder-conductor and artistic director of the “Baltic Sea Philharmonic” and he is leader of the “Sunbeam Production” in-house band “Nordic Pulse.

As a recording artist Järvi has more than 60 albums to his credit, from Hollywood soundtracks such as “Cloud Atlas”, “Sense 8” (both productions of the Wachowski sisters), “Hologram for the King” (directed by Tom Tykwer) and award-winning albums on Sony Classical and Chandos, to his eponymous series: the “Kristjan Järvi Sound Project” and recording for Max Richter.

In 2016 Kristjan Järvi started his own Production Company Sunbeam Productions in order to being able to bring unique live music experiences to his audiences. Kristjan recently signed a record deal with BMG – Modern Recordings. Where in 2020 he released his first own Album “Nordic Escapes”

After “Snow Maiden” and “Swan Lake”, Kristjan´s own arrangements of Tchaikovsky´s Theatre Works series on Sony Classical takes off with its third release: “Sleeping Beauty”. Next releases will be “The Nutcracker”

As a composer Järvi has active many compositions, of modern style and some composed with the german composer Johnny Klimek of Klimek-Tykwer-Heil fame, and some for orchestra, vocal, chorus or synth instruments. Some of his partial compositions are:

• Rattle, with Johnny Klimek (2019)
• Pendleonium, with Johnny Klimek (2019)
• NEBULA (2019)
• Kritical Mass (2018)
• Babylon Charleston (2018), for the series Babylon Berlin.

His latest Album is Nordic Escapes, released in August 2020 on Modern Recordings (BMG)

{{Reflist}}

• Järvi, Kristjan (2014): "A Soundtrack to Our Lives..." . In: Stoppe, Sebastian (ed.), Film in Concert: Film Scores and their Relation to Classical Concert Music, pp. 131–144. {{ISBN|978-3-86488-060-5}} doi:10.25969/mediarep/16802.

• [http://kristjanjarvi.com/ Kristjan Järvi official website]
• {{IMDb name|0433526}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170330003058/http://dornmusic.com/portfolio/kristjan-jarvi-conductor/ Dorn Music GmbH agency page on Kristjan Järvi]
• [http://www.absoluteensemble.com/ Absolute Ensemble official site]

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{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, NorrlandsOperan| before=Roy Goodman | years=2000–2004 | after=Andrea Quinn}}

{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra | before=Jun Märkl | years=2012–2018 | after=Dennis Russell Davies}}

{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, Baltic Sea Philharmonic | before=(no predecessor) | years=2008–present | after=incumbent}}

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Category:1972 births

Category:Estonian emigrants to the United States

Category:Living people

Category:Manhattan School of Music alumni

Category:Musicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey

Category:Composers from New York City

Category:Musicians from Tallinn

Category:People from Rumson, New Jersey

Category:University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni

Category:21st-century Estonian conductors (music)

Kristjan

Category:Chief conductors of the Tonkünstler Orchestra