Since the 2020/21 season, its Chief Conductor and Artistic Director is Olari Elts. Neeme Järvi, the longest-serving chief conductor of ERSO, continues as an Honorary Artistic Director for Life. The Artistic Adviser of the orchestra is Paavo Järvi.
ERSO has won several awards, including a Grammy Award for the recording of cantatas by Sibelius. Its home venue is the Estonia Concert Hall in Tallinn. It has toured Europe and the U.S. and participated in reputable international music festivals such as the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier with Neeme Järvi and the Eufonie International Festival of Central and Eastern Europe in Warsaw with Olari Elts. They have played in prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus Berlin, Musikverein in Vienna, Brucknerhaus in Linz, the Avery Fisher Hall (currently David Geffen Hall) in New York, the Grand Hall of Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Helsinki Music Centre, Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, and many more. Some of last year’s highlights include a concert tour with Olari Elts and violinist Daniel Lozakovich, which took the orchestra to Isarphilarmonie in Munich, La Seine Musicale in Paris and Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg. In May 2023, another successful concert tour took the orchestra to Great Britain, where 11 concerts were given with pianist Barry Douglas under the baton of Olari Elts.
ERSO has had the honour to premiere symphonic pieces by almost every Estonian composer, including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Jüri Reinvere, and Eduard Tubin.
ERSO is fortunate to perform with many of the very best Estonian musicians. Commanding a repertoire that ranges from the Baroque period to the present, ERSO has had the honour to premiere symphonic pieces by almost every Estonian composer, including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Jüri Reinvere, and Eduard Tubin.
Over the past two years, EERO Canada has donated about $120,000 to ERSO for the purchase of violins and cellos, thanks to a very generous family donation. We would like to continue supporting the purchasing of string instruments for the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and thereby improve the quality of the string section. Until 10 years ago several percussion instruments did not exist in the orchestra inventory and therefore ERSO purchased these percussion instruments. While over the years ERSO has renewed their wind instruments, ERSO’s budget did not allow it to improve the quality of their string section. As many established orchestras include strings costing hundreds of thousands or sometimes millions, it is also possible to increase the quality of ERSO instruments by acquiring some that are affordable and have a good sound. As many of ERSO’s stringed instruments continue to be in a bad situation in both the violin and viola sections, this year ERSO would like to find suitably priced quality instruments for these groups.
EERO Canada is hoping to raise $30,000 CAD to support the purchase of a violin or viola in 2025.
To support the ERSO STRINGS campaign by Credit Card or PayPal click here.
You can donate by etransfer to eeroesimees@gmail.com, noting ERSO Strings in the description with your email address for your tax receipt.
To donate by cheque: EERO – ERSO Strings, 17 Tufton Cres., Toronto, ON, M4A 2E2
Mari Ann Tammark, EERO Canada
