Baltic Youth Philharmonic Led by Kristjan Järvi Kicks Off Second Season
Youth Orchestra of the Baltic Region Appearing in Concerts in Six Countries as A New Voice in the North
“Youth Orchestras are indisputably among the highest quality orchestras in the world. The players are in excellent form, have a zest for making music and genuinely want to play together. I thrive from the learning experience of working closely with so many active and imaginative minds still in the making.” Kristjan Järvi
Heringsdorf, Germany – July 6, 2009 – Over 70 talented young musicians from all the states surrounding the Baltic Sea have now been chosen to be a part of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic for 2009. This innovative training orchestra was founded in the summer of 2008 as a joint initiative between the Usedom Music Festival and Nord Stream AG and led by Founding Conductor and Music Director Kristjan Järvi. The Baltic Youth Philharmonic brings together the most promising young musicians from music academies in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany to create A New Voice in the North, an experience that draws upon the richness of the region’s diversity. The musicians are challenged to overcome cultural differences to forge, in record time, an orchestra that tours the Baltic region and beyond. Through communication, teamwork and personal interaction, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic shapes and broadens the outlook of talented young musicians, both as members of the orchestra and as citizens of the world.
Under the baton of the Estonian-born conductor Kristjan Järvi, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic will perform concerts in six countries this summer: Estonia (Tartu, July 16), Finland (Helsinki, July 17), Lithuania (Vilnius, July 20), Denmark (Copenhagen, July 21), Germany (Bremen, August 22) and Sweden (Stockholm, October 5).
On September 19, 2009, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic will open the 16th Usedom Music Festival, performing in the historic turbine hall at the Peenemünde Museum, the former weapons research and testing facility of the Third Reich, now reimagined as a monument of peace and remembrance on the island of Usedom in Germany. Together with the North German Radio (NDR), the Usedom Music Festival initiated a series of concerts at Peenemünde in 2002 with a performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich. The Peenemünde Concerts are now the highlights of the annual festival, marking a new chapter in the history of the place. In the former electricity plant serving the production of rockets, a new generation of young musicians now gather to make music in this historic context.
Before the first concert in Tartu, the musicians of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic will have an intensive week of rehearsals with Kristjan Järvi and renowned instrumental coaches from all over Europe. This year, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic presents Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 5 by Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, the Overture Das Märchen von der schönen Melusine by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy as well as Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto Opus 61 in a version for piano and orchestra by Beethoven himself. The cadenzas of the concerto, more commonly known in its version for violin and orchestra, were written specifically for the Baltic Youth Philharmonic by Lithuanian composer Anatolijus Senderovas. Swedish pianist Peter Jablonski will premiere this new version of the concerto with the youth orchestra.
Giving a musical home to young people in the Baltic region is the mission of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic. Ten different musical approaches and ideas, derived from ten different traditions, need to be understood and combined to give the region a common cultural identity. Through their intense work with Kristjan Järvi and the instrumental coaches in group and orchestra rehearsals, the musicians further their individual development and their careers. They receive new insight, expand their knowledge of the repertoire and gather valuable experience in orchestral playing. Since April 2009, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic is an associate member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO).
The Estonian-born and American-raised conductor Kristjan Jarvi is internationally recognized for his role as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna and New York’s celebrated Absolute Ensemble. He also appears regularly with the world's top orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and Orchestre National de France. Jarvi is a committed advocate of music education and the Baltic Youth Philharmonic offers him the opportunity to nurture the artistic growth of young people in his home region of the Baltic Sea. “I aim to inspire,” Kristjan Järvi explains about his approach to working with the young musicians of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic, “and yet each and every time I conduct a youth orchestra I am, in fact, the one being inspired. Youth Orchestras are able to play as all orchestras should: without borders, boundaries and judgment. The Baltic Youth Philharmonic was initiated with this spirit and is the perfect breeding ground for combining great music and great fun.”
The Baltic Youth Philharmonic is a joint initiative of the Usedom Music Festival and Nord Stream AG. The Orchestra was founded in 2008 to create a sound for the Baltic region: A New Voice in the North.
www.baltic-youth-philharmonic.org
Usedom Music Festival
The sound of the Baltic Sea has been heard for the past 15 years on the island of Usedom. Every year in the late summer, the Usedom Music Festival devotes itself to the cultural region around the Baltic Sea. Thus, it has presented the musical life of Russia, Poland, the Baltic States, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Soloists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Gidon Kremer, Olli Mustonen, Nina Stemme, Bo Skovhus as well as Jan Garbarek and the Esbjörn Svensson Trio enthralled their audiences. The Peenemünde Concerts, frequently featuring the NDR Symphony Orchestra, are among the highlights of the more than 30 events presented by the Festival each year. From September 19 to October 10, 2009, the musical and cultural life of the former state of Prussia will be the focus of the Festival. www.usedomer-musikfestival.de
Nord Stream AG is fully aware of its environmental, economic and social responsibility. This means creating sustainable development in the energy sector as well as making an essential contribution to society, the environment and culture in the Baltic Sea region. Nord Stream co-initiated and sponsors the Baltic Youth Philharmonic, an orchestra dedicated to the development of young musicians from all Baltic Sea states, in order to promote the advancement of future generations, while supporting the cultural diversity of the region. The company is an international joint venture established for the planning, construction and subsequent operation of a natural gas pipeline to link Russia and the European Union via the Baltic Sea. www.nord-stream.com
Estonian-born and American-raised, conductor Kristjan Järvi is a unique musical personality pushing classical music borders with fresh ideas, charisma and technical prowess. Hailed by the New York Times as “a kinetic force on the podium, like Leonard Bernstein reborn," Järvi has combined his classical roots and affinity for traditional repertoire with an infectious enthusiasm for creating original cross-cultural programs and propelling classical concert halls around the globe into the 21st Century. Kristjan Järvi is Founder and Music Director of New York’s groundbreaking Absolute Ensemble, Founding Conductor and Music Director of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic, Chief Conductor and Music Director for the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna and Artistic Advisor to the Basel Chamber Orchestra. A highly sought-after Guest Conductor, Järvi also appears regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Berlin Radio Symphony, Orchestre National de France, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Kristjan Järvi is a committed advocate of music education and has mentored young musicians and youth orchestras around the world. In addition to his work with the Baltic Youth Philharmonic, Järvi is the founder of the Absolute Academy at Bremen University and co-founder of the Muusikaselts Estonian Orphanage Program. Järvi’s passion for new music has resulted in the commission of more than a hundred works by composers including Arvo Pärt, HK Gruber, Erkki-Sven Tüur and Daniel Schnyder. He has recorded more than twenty albums for which he has received a list of accolades. In 2007 Deutsche Bank awarded Kristjan Järvi the “Deutsche Bank Prize” at Musikfest Bremen in recognition of outstanding musical achievement and artistic vision. Kristjan Järvi makes his home in Vienna and Florida together with his wife and children.
BALTIC YOUTH PHILHARMONIC – SEASON 2009
TOUR
July 16 20:00, St. John's Church, Tartu, Estonia
Opening concert at Glasperlenspiel Festival
July 17 15:00, St. John's Church, Helsinki, Finland
July 20 19:00, St. Catherine's Church, Vilnius, Lithuania
July 21 19:30, Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark
August 22 19:30, 21:00 and 22:30, Die Glocke, Bremen, Germany
„Eine große Nachtmusik“ Opening concert Musikfest Bremen
Sept. 19 20:00, Kraftwerk des Museums, Peenemünde, Island of Usedom, Germany
Opening concert 16th Usedom Music Festival
Oct. 5 Stockholm, Sweden
PROGRAM
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Overture Das Märchen von der schönen Melusine F minor op. 32
Ludwig van Beethoven: Concert for Piano and Orchestra D major op. 61
(featuring four new cadenzas commissioned for the Baltic Youth Philharmonic from Anatolijus Senderovas)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony Nr. 1 C minor op. 68
Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky: Symphony Nr. 5 E minor op. 64 (Alternate)
SOLOISTS
Peter Jablonski, Piano (except concert in Bremen)
Fazil Say, Piano (only concert in Bremen)
Founding Conductor and Music Director: Kristjan Järvi
Executive Director: Thomas Hummel
Orchestra Manager: Alexa Nieschlag
The Baltic Youth Philharmonic is a joint initiative by the Usedom Music Festival and Nord Stream AG
Kristjan Järvi -- Biography
Estonian-born and American-raised, conductor Kristjan Järvi is a unique musical personality pushing classical music borders with fresh ideas, charisma and technical prowess. Hailed by the New York Times as “a kinetic force on the podium, like Leonard Bernstein reborn" Järvi has combined his classical roots and affinity for traditional repertoire
with an infectious enthusiasm for creating original cross-cultural programs and propelled classical concert halls around the globe into the 21st Century.
In his capacity as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna and New York’s celebrated Absolute Ensemble, Mr. Järvi is well-known for his musical insight into repertoire ranging from the classical period to the 21st century. Järvi’s flair for imaginative programming is reflected in his recent appointment as Artistic Advisor to the Kammerorchester Basel.
Kristjan Järvi is highly sought-after as a Guest Conductor, appearing regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Berlin Radio Symphony, Orchestre National de France, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In 2008/09 he makes his Proms debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as well as debut concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bayerische Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Symphony, Orchestre National de Lyon and NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo.
In addition to a demanding concert schedule at the esteemed Vienna Musikverein, Järvi and the Tonkünstler Orchestra have toured throughout the U.K., Spain, Germany, Austria and the Baltic States. Upcoming tours include Japan in October 2008, the Czech Republic in January 2009, and a return to the Grafenegg Summer Festival as “Orchestra in Residence” in 2009.
Kristjan Järvi is a passionate recording artist, with more than 20 albums to his credit, for which he has received a list of accolades, including a Swedish Grammy for Best Opera Performance, the German Record Critics Prize for Best Album and a Grammy Nomination. The 2008 release of Franz Schmidt’s “Book of the Seven Seals” on the Chandos Label was met with widespread acclaim. A recent release of Bernstein’s epic “Mass” has just been honored as a Gramophone Editor’s Choice for May 2009. Forthcoming releases include a cycle of Haydn’s “Paris” Symphonies, Steve Reich’s “Desert Music.”
Kristjan Järvi founded Absolute Ensemble in 1993. Since its inception it has become one of the foremost chamber ensembles in the world, founded on the principle of “music without borders.” The ensemble is resident annually at Bremen Musikfest and in 2007 was honored with the prestigious Bremen Musikfest Deutschebank Prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Kristjan Järvi’s enthusiasm for new music has resulted in the commission of over 100 works by Arvo Pärt, HK Gruber, Erkki-Sven Tüur and Daniel Schnyder among others. In July 2007, he conducted John Adams’ “Nixon in China” to great critical acclaim at the Cincinnati Opera.
Kristjan Järvi is a committed advocate of music education and is Founding Conductor and Music Director of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic, the Absolute Academy at Bremen University and is co-founder of the Muusikaselts Estonian Orphanage Program. Mr. Järvi has worked with Japan’s Hyogo Youth Orchestra, the Norwegian Youth Orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Sydney Sinfonia and the National Repertory Orchestra, Colorado.
An accomplished pianist, Kristjan Järvi studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music with Nina Svetlanova followed by graduate conducting studies at the University of Michigan with Kenneth Kiesler. He began his career assisting Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with whom he made his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 1999 and went on to become Chief Conductor of the Norrlands Opera and Symphony Orchestra, Sweden(2000-2004). Kristjan Järvi makes his home in Vienna and Florida together with his wife and children.
