Olari Elts (born April 27, 1971 in Tallinn) is an Estonian conductor. He was the principal conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2006. He is the founder and director of the contemporary music ensemble NYYD Ensemble.
In September 2006 he took up the newly created position of Artistic Advisor of the Orchestre National de Bretagne. He was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from the beginning of the 2007–2008 season. Also in 2007, he was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.
Elts has conducted Finnish Radio, Yomiuri Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Sinfoniker, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony, Orchestre National du Capitole de Touloluse, City of Birmingham Symphony, Ensemble Modern and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with whom he made his US debut. He also visits Australia and New Zealand regularly, appearing with orchestras including Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Western Australian Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Elts' opera work includes appearances with the Estonian National Opera, conducting Britten's Albert Herring and Puccini's Il Trittico , as well as Mozart's Don Giovanni and Idomeneo with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. In autumn 2008 he conducted performances of Marschner's Der Vampyr at the Rennes Opera House, and also in Hungary.
In 2001 Elts was awarded the IVth Class Order of the White Star by Estonia in recognition for his outstanding contribution to music.
Elts has won the following conductor's competitions: [1]
Edo de Waart is a Dutch conductor. He is Music Director Laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. De Waart is the former chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic (2011-2016), Artistic Partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (2010-2014), and music director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (2016-2019).
Neeme Järvi is an Estonian American conductor.
Paavo Järvi is an Estonian-American conductor. He has been chief conductor of Zurich's Tonhalle since 2020.
Pedro Carneiro is a Portuguese solo classical percussionist, marimba player, composer, and conductor. Carneiro is one of the very few percussion players to have made an international career as a soloist, and has established himself as one of the world's foremost solo percussionists, performing regularly throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.
The Orchestre national de France is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio, the ONF performs mainly in the Auditorium de Radio France, in the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique from where all its concerts are broadcast. Some concerts are also held in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, which was the previous main venue of the orchestra before the Auditorium was built.
The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Tallinn.
Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki is a Finnish conductor and cellist.
Diego Masson is a French conductor, composer, and percussionist.
András Ligeti was a Hungarian classical violinist and conductor who worked internationally. He was chief conductor of the Hungarian State Opera House until 1985, and chief conductor to the Budapest Symphony Orchestra from 1989 to 1993. He recorded with a focus on Hungarian music and contemporary music.
Gavin Sutherland is a conductor, composer/arranger, pianist and musicologist. He is currently Principal Guest Conductor for English National Ballet.
Kenneth Montgomery OBE was a British conductor active in the concert hall and opera house. He held music director positions in the UK, the Netherlands and the US.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC is a Canadian conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), the Metropolitan Opera, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was the principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2018.
Ondine is a Finnish classical record label founded in 1985 in Helsinki, Finland. Its catalogue with several award-winning releases includes over 600 titles with major Finnish and international artists.
Tito Arturo Muñoz is an American conductor. He is currently music director of The Phoenix Symphony. He was previously music director of the Opéra national de Lorraine and Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy in Nancy, France, and Ensemble LPR in New York City, as well as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Pablo Heras-Casado is a Spanish conductor.
The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra is a Latvian orchestra based in Riga. Its primary performance venue is the Great Guild Hall in Riga. In addition to regular symphonic concerts, the orchestra also broadcasts and records.
Gilbert Varga is a British-Hungarian conductor and the Principal Conductor of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
The Kymi Sinfonietta is a sinfonietta-sized orchestra based in two Finnish cities, Kotka and Kouvola. The Kymi Sinfonietta was formed in 1999 after merging the Kotka and Kouvola City Orchestras and it is currently an ensemble of 31 regular players. Kymi Sinfonietta’s public performances range from about 100 to nearly 200 performances per year. Concerts by the Kymi Sinfonietta are held at Kotka Concert Hall on Wednesdays and Kouvola City Hall or Kuusankoski Hall on Thursdays.
Black conductors are musicians of African, Caribbean, African-American ancestry and other members of the African diaspora who are musical ensemble leaders who direct classical music performances, such as an orchestral or choral concerts, or jazz ensemble big band concerts by way of visible gestures with the hands, arms, face and head. Conductors of African descent are rare, as the vast majority are male and Caucasian.
Paul Mägi is an Estonian conductor in concert and opera and is also an academic teacher and violinist. He has commissioned works for the Estonian National Opera.