Eri Klas

Eri Klas (middle of photo) at the Song Festival parade in 2009.

Eri Klas (born in Tallinn, 1939) is an Estonian [1] conductor.

Klas has mainly worked in the Nordic scene since, but might be best known for his work leading the defunct Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. He premiered Alfred Schnittke's 1st Cello Concerto (Munich Philharmonic, 1986) and Peer Gynt ballet (Hamburg State Opera, 1989), and has worked on the diffusion of the Estonian symphonic repertory. He is also active as a pedagogue, holding professorships at the Sibelius Academy (1993–97) and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (1997– ), where he has received an honorary doctorate.

He has been decorated the Order of the Lion of Finland (1992, on the occasion of Finland's 75th Independence Day) and the Order of the White Star, and is an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 1986 he was named a People's Artist of the USSR. A former Estonian lightweight junior boxing champion, he is also a member of the Estonian Olympic Committee.

External links

References

  1. "JEWISH COMMUNITY IN ESTONIA". February 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
Cultural offices
Preceded by
Norman Del Mar
Chief Conductor, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra
1991–1996
Succeeded by
James Loughran
Preceded by
Kees Bakels
Chief Conductor, Netherlands Radio Symphony
1996–2003
Succeeded by
Hans Vonk
Preceded by
Tuomas Ollila
Chief Conductor, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
1998–2006
Succeeded by
John Storgårds