Schedule for Baltic Youth Philharmonic "A Baltic Voyage" 2022

Composer: Peter Tchaikovsky
Composer: Dmitry Shostakovich
Composer: Johannes Brahms
Composer: Carl August Nielsen
Composer: Jean Sibelius
Composer: Edward Grieg

Brahms - Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 GERMANY

Nielsen - An Imaginary Journey to the Faroe Islands Overture (Excerpt) DENMARK

Grieg - "At the Wedding" (Prelude to act 1 from Peer Gynt, Op. 23) NORWAY

Stenhammar - "Mellanspel" from Sеngen, Op. 44 SWEDEN

Tubin - "Setu Tants", No. 3 from Three Estonian Dances, ETW 15 ESTONIA

Sibelius - Karelia Suite, Op. 11, 2nd & 3rd movement FINLAND

Tchaikovsky - The Snow Maiden, Dance of the Buffoons, Op. 12, No. 13 RUSSIA

Lutoslawski - Mala Suite, 2nd movement POLAND

Gelgotas - Never Ignore the Cosmic Ocean LITHUANIA

Kalnins - Rock Symphony, No. 4, 1st movement LATVIA

Shostakovich - Festive Overture, Op. 96 RUSSIA

The idea of BYP is to create a new voice in the north: innovative, creative and outstanding. Music without borders. Believing that music knows no boundaries, limitations or borders. Not geographically, not between genres. Taking young musicians on a journey through the centuries, through styles, through performance practices, to create »generalists«, not specialists. Diving back to the roots of folk music, embracing contemporary and pop music, to emerge with a voice for today. Overcoming prejudice; tearing down boundaries within our heads.

Bringing together people from very different backgrounds as a living model not just of coexistence, but real cooperation and true understanding in a region historically divided by the sea, and by centuries of armed struggles and cold wars. Reversing that divisive attitude: seeing that the Baltic Sea actually connects all these countries. Experiencing unknown history and unfamiliar customs: learning from one’s neighbours – behind the music stand in rehearsal, and through life on tour. Sharing knowledge, making history. Lending the region a voice: BYP is the cultural ambassador of Northern Europe, within the region and beyond – A New Voice in the North. BYP is the only orchestra aiming to bring together the musical youth of the entire Baltic Sea region; it was founded in 2008 by the Usedom Music Festival and Nord Stream AG. Since 2009, BYP has been an associate member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras

The vision of BYP is to become a major music performance and education hub in the North of Europe, radiating throughout the world. Once BYP is established as a »New Voice in the North«, it will aim to harness its particular energy and approach to a professional orchestra. This Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra will consist of BYP alumni who are immersed in the »Music without Borders« way of thinking and performing, and will provide a stable basis for the operations of the Baltic Music Education System. The unique idea of this is to send the musicians of the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra into the education systems of their countries, to allow younger musicians and music students to profit from their search for excellence and expressivity. Thus, the musicians would perform, tour and record half the time, and teach the other half. BYP is laying the seeds of this development by starting a series of workshops with BYP musicians in schools and music schools in places where BYP has rehearsals and concerts.

Kristjan Jдrvi

Kristjan Jдrvi has forged a career that couples his international reputation as an insightful, articulate conductor with his unique sensibility and genuine love for music. Jдrvi is renowned worldwide for inventive programming, brave collaborations and cross-cultural/cross-genre repertoire. An entrepreneur by nature and a passionate educator and philanthropist, Jдrvi leads both the oldest Radio Orchestra in Europe and the newest Youth Orchestra.

Kristjan Jдrvi holds four principle engagements, including Music Director of the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (beginning 2012-13 season); Chief Conductor Gstaad Festival Orchestra (GFO); Founder and Music Director Absolute Ensemble; and Founding Conductor Baltic Youth Philharmonic (BYP). He is also the Artistic Advisor to Basel Chamber Orchestra. Jдrvi has previously held Music Director posts in Vienna and Sweden.

As a highlight of the 2012-13 Season, Kristjan Jдrvi is “Artist in Residence” at Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where he conducts all four of the above-mentioned orchestras throughout the festival. Jдrvi maintains a similar relationship with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and in 2012-13 is resident with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and both the BYP and MDR at the newly built Danish Radio Concert Hall.

Kristjan has ongoing guest conducting engagements with the following orchestras: London Symphony Orchestra (with whom he performs regularaly and exclusively in London and has toured the USA, Europe and Asia), Staatskapelle Dresden, Bayerische Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, NDR Hamburg, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington D.C), the Minnesota Orchestra, Sydney Symphony and NHK Symphony Japan.

As a recording artist Jдrvi has more than 30 albums to his credit. He has been honored with a Swedish Grammy for ‘Best Opera Performance’, German Record Critics Prize for ‘Best Album’, a Grammy nomination and a BBC Record Award nomination. Kristjan Jдrvi records exclusively for SONY, releasing two albums this season on the label- “Carmina Burana” and “Cloud Atlas Symphony”, both with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Cloud Atlas Symphony marks Kristjan’s continued work in film music, having recorded the soundtrack the Hollywood film Cloud Atlas with MDR.

Founded in 2008, Baltic Youth Philharmonic has quickly been embraced by the international community as both an important education body and a symbol of peace and unity in a previously volatile region. As founding conductor, Kristjan Jдrvi has led the Ensemble on tours throughout Europe and secured significant support through a board of trustees that includes former German chancellor Schroeder, Valery Gergiev, Kurt Masur, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Marek Janowski and Mariss Jansons. The BYP has become a vibrant hub for education and performance, musically uniting students across the region.

Kristjan Jдrvi is committed to music education and in addition to his work with BYP has founded the Absolute Academy at the Bremen University for Music and Arts and the Muusikaselts Music education project in remote Estonian orphanages (now a national initiative). He has worked with dozens of youth organizations and in 2011 was a Judge at the first Beijing International Composers Competition in China.

Kristjan Jдrvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia. He emigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in New York City. He is an accomplished pianist and graduated from Manhattan School of Music as a performance major followed by undertaking conducting studies at the University of Michigan. He began his career as Assistant Conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.