In an interview conducted by the Living the Classical Life videocast, Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi discusses his musical beginnings, the role and influence of his father, conductor Neeme Järvi, the story of his early meeting with composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the Pärnu Music Festival, which he founded.
Paavo Järvi, who celebrated his 60th birthday this year, started his music career in Tallinn, studying percussion and conducting at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College. In 1980, when he moved to the US with his family, he continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute under Leonard Bernstein.
Over the last 30 years, he has served as the chief conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and the Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the musical director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Currently, he serves as the chief conductor of the Tonhalle Orchester-Zürich and the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, and as the long-standing artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
