The city of Pärnu has hosted a wide variety of music courses for decades, and Pärnu City Orchestra has been a loyal partner to several of them, including Sasha Mäkilä’s conducting courses, SUVEUNIversiteet, and the Järvi Academy.

Launched by Pärnu City Orchestra itself, the Pärnu City Orchestra Academy will take place for the first time from 15 to 18 September 2026. The Academy developed from the wish to offer young talents from across Estonia the opportunity, once a year, to perform as soloists with a symphony orchestra and, through the course preceding the concert, to take part in an inspiring exchange of ideas with both the course tutor and the conductor.

Each year, Pärnu City Orchestra Academy will focus on different instruments, thereby bringing new and exciting teachers to Pärnu on each occasion.

For the first Academy, Pärnu City Orchestra pays tribute to the distinguished piano teacher and Honorary Citizen of the City of Pärnu, Arbo Valdma, with whom the orchestra has enjoyed a continuous collaboration for more than 20 years. This time, the orchestra will be conducted by Jaan Ots, who is also known as an outstanding pianis.

For over three decades, Pärnu City Orchestra has enriched the cultural landscape of Pärnu as the only professional symphony orchestra in the Western Estonia region. This musical ensemble, which unites the community, has created a diverse cultural space and offers unique experiences to audiences in both Pärnu and across Estonia. The orchestra brings together talented musicians from Pärnu, forming a dynamic community known for its flexibility and stylistic versatility.

The orchestra is dedicated to promoting Estonian music as well as premiering and recording new works every year. Long-term collaborations with various concert organisations and internationally renowned musicians have made it a foremost ensemble in Estonia’s music scene.

The chief conductor of Pärnu City Orchestra is Henri Christofer Aavik, who received the 2022 Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s Annual Award in Music and is part of a younger generation of Estonian conductors. He has also gained attention as a laureate of the 5th Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition and the 8th International Jorma Panula Conducting Competition. Furthermore, he has conducted numerous renowned ensembles, including the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the 18th Century Orchestra (Amsterdam), Sinfonia Rotterdam, Staatskapelle Weimar, Jena Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestra Senzaspine (Bologna).

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Concerts take place at Pärnu Concert Hall, Aida 4, Pärnu 80011.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

Pärnu City Orchestra Academy

Fri Sep 18, 2026 at 07:00 PM
Pärnu Concert Hall
Aleksandra Galushkina, Sten Eric Hansen, Ingmar Poll, Jordi López Jové, Kõu Praks, Agatha Kutsok.
Conductor Jaan Ots

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