Kristjan Järvi

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 programs; propelling classical concert halls around the globe into the 21st Century. Kristjan Järvi’s name has become synonymous with artistic and cultural diversity, embodied in his roles as Artistic Advisor to the Basel Chamber Orchestra and Founder and Music Director of New York’s Absolute Ensemble. His imaginative programming has been embraced by leaders of classical, jazz and world music spheres alike. Järvi’s authentic commitment to all genres is reflected in his collaborations with Arvo Pärt, Tan Dun, John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, H.K Grüber, Renee Fleming, Joe Zawinul, Benny Andersson, Goran Bregovic, Paquito d’Rivera, Eitetsu Hayashi and Marcel Khalife. Kristjan Järvi has actively sought the commission of over 100 new works.

Kristjan Järvi is a dynamic and enterprising music educator. He is Founding Conductor and Music Director of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic. With the support of Former German Chancellor Schroeder, Valerie Gergiev and Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic aims to become an education and performance hub for the Baltic region. Additionally, Järvi is Founder and Music Director of the Absolute Academy (resident annually at Musikfest Bremen) and co-founder of the Muusikaselts Estonian Orphanage Program. He has worked with Japan’s Hyogo Youth Orchestra, the Norwegian Youth Orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Sydney Sinfonia and the National Repertory Orchestra, Colorado. he is highly sought-after as a Guest Conductor. An accomplished pianist, Kristjan Järvi studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music and conducting at the University of Michigan. He began his career assisting Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, followed by Chief Conductor and Music Director posts at both the Norrlands Opera and Symphony Orchestra, Sweden (2000-2004) and the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna (2004-2009). Kristjan Järvi has been appointed the new chief conductor of the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig beginning with the 2012/2013 concert season. In 2007 Musikfest Bremen honored him and Absolute Ensemble with the Deutsche Bank Prize in recognition of Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Kristjan Järvi makes his home in Vienna and Florida together with his wife and three children.

David Zinman

David Zinman's career has been distinguished by his programming of an extraordinarily broad repertoire, his strong commitment to the performance of contemporary music and his introduction of historically informed performance practice.  He is in his seventeenth season as Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

David Zinman has conducted all of the leading North American orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland and The Philadelphia orchestras, as well as the New York Philharmonic. In Europe he performs with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Münchner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, WDR Sinfonieorchester and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He also has relationships with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestre National de France.

He recently performed with the NHK Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras and looks forward to a long awaited return to the Sydney Symphony and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra this season. In addition Zinman has toured widely with many international orchestras and continues to tour in Europe, Asia and USA with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. His most recent opera performance was a production of Offenbach’s Les contes d'Hoffmann at Geneva Opera in March 2010, to be in revived in late 2011.

David Zinman's extensive discography of more than 100 recordings has earned him numerous international honours, including five Grammy awards, two Grand Prix du Disque, two Edison Prizes, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and a Gramophone Award. He was also the 1997 recipient of the prestigious Ditson Award from Columbia University in recognition of his exceptional commitment to the performance of works by American composers. David Zinman and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich recently completed a highly acclaimed Mahler Symphonies cycle (the Mahler Symphony No.8 disc receiving a 2011 ECHO Award), which followed similarly praised Beethoven, Strauss and Schumann cycles. A recording of all the Schubert Symphonies is their current project for Sony/BMG and the most recent release is a Brahms Symphonies cycle.

David Zinman studied conducting with Pierre Monteux, and made his first major conducting debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1967. Previous positions held include Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He was also Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and School, and American Academy of Conducting for thirteen years.

In 2000 the French Ministry of Culture awarded David Zinman the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettrres and in October 2002 the City of Zurich Art Prize was awarded to him for his outstanding artistic efforts, making him the first conductor and also the first recipient of this award to anyone not originally from Switzerland. More recently, Zinman received the prestigious Thomas Theodore award in recognition of outstanding achievement and extraordinary service to one's colleagues in advancing the art and science of conducting, reflecting honour on the profession. In 2008 he won the Midem Classical Artist of the Year award for his work with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.