Neeme Järvi
Chef d’orchestre
With around 500 recordings, Neeme Järvi is one of the conductors with the most audio recordings, which often include works beyond the standard repertoire. He made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in mid-June 1990 with works by Pärt, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.
Järvi, whose daughter Maarika has an international reputation as a flute virtuoso, and whose sons Paavo and Kristjan are also very successful conductors, studied at the music school in his home town of Talinn and later at the Leningrad Conservatory under Nikolai Rabinovich and Evgeny Mravinsky. He has long been associated with the Eesti Riiklik Sümfooniaorkester (ERSO) as chief conductor as well as honorary artistic director for life. Järvi, who was also chief conductor of Estonian National Opera, emigrated with his family to the USA in 1980, where he subsequently made guest appearances with all the major orchestras. He was conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which he continues to support as honorary conductor and music director. He has also been chief conductor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Residentie Orkest Den Haag. Järvi, who has received many awards for his artistic work, has been a sought-after guest of top orchestras all over the world for over 30 years and has also conducted at opera houses such as the New York Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and the Opéra de Paris. Neeme Järvi holds honorary doctorates from the University of Michigan, Wayne State University Detroit, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
