Andres Kaljuste

Estonian conductor, violinist and violist Andres Kaljuste is currently studying orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Atso Almila and Hannu Lintu. He is also guest-principal viola of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

The 2016/17 season will see Kaljuste make his conducting debut with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and Oulu Sinfonia. He was honoured to have been selected to conduct a symphony concert in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, broadcast on Finnish national television. In autumn 2016 Kaljuste will take his opera diploma, conducting Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel” and Rautavaara's “The Gift of the Magi”.

He has participated in masterclasses of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Neeme and Paavo Järvi, Sir Roger Norrington, Herbert Blomstedt, Mikko Franck, John Storgårds and has collaborated from the podium with orchestras of Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Pärnu and Philips Symfonie Orkest.

Kaljuste studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and later Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin. A two-year scholarship followed with the Academy of Rundfunk- Sinfonieorchester Berlin, after which he went on to pursue a busy freelance career working with top UK orchestras such as the RPO, the Philharmonia and as guest concertmaster of Oulu Sinfonia, Finland.
He has worked at Lilla Akademien, recognised as one of the top music schools in Scandinavia, as conductor of the school's string orchestras and ensembles while also teaching violin and viola.

As a soloist, Kaljuste has appeared with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Verona Philharmonic, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Belgrade Strings, Vanemuise Symphony Orchestra and made his debut at Berlin's Konzerthaus in 2010 with Cappella Academica, playing the Brahms violin concerto.