Tõnu Kaljuste has been awarded the title of Honorary Conductor of Tallinn, recognizing his long-term dedication to music. The award was presented yesterday, August 11, at the closing concert of the Birgitta Festival.

According to Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski, Kaljuste's contribution has been crucial in launching Tallinn as a UNESCO City of Music and providing unforgettable musical experiences both in Tallinn and globally. "It is rare for the world to see someone like Tõnu Kaljuste. It is even rarer for us here on the Baltic coast to experience his work firsthand," Ossinovski said. "Together with Kaljuste, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra has achieved its greatest accolades and delivered its most important concerts. Thank you, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration."

"Collaboration and communication are driving forces in any field. In music, an additional word is 'perception.' With the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, I always feel at home, where much explanation is unnecessary, where your strengths and weaknesses are as well-known as the sun and rain," said Tõnu Kaljuste.

This week, Kaljuste and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra will embark on a summer tour of Estonia's rural churches. Concerts will take place on August 13 in Otepää, August 14 in Põltsamaa, and August 15 in Hageri, featuring works primarily by Estonian composers Arvo Pärt, Ester Mägi, Erkki-Sven Tüür, and Heino Eller. The same program will be performed at the prestigious Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm on August 29, where artistic director Esa-Pekka Salonen has named the Estonian concert as one of the festival's highlights. A significant event in Estonia's musical life, Kaljuste and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra will premiere a new work by young Estonian composer Alisson Kruusmaa in Stockholm.

Throughout the 2024/2025 season, Kaljuste and the chamber orchestra will perform at various concerts in Tallinn and beyond: on October 19 at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre's grand hall for Erkki-Sven Tüür's 65th birthday concert, in November at the traditional Tallinn All Souls' Day concert, on January 25 at St. Paul's Church in Tartu, and on January 26 at St. John's Church in Tallinn for another installment of the "Mad Bach" series initiated by Kaljuste, featuring Bach's cantatas. Additionally, they will perform on March 8 at the House of the Blackheads' White Hall for Kristjan Randalu's composer concert "Moment of Your Morning Light." They will also go on international tours and record music.

Under Kaljuste's direction, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra has significantly contributed to popularizing the works of renowned composers such as Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Erkki-Sven Tüür, and Tõnu Kõrvits. It is said that Kaljuste and his ensembles are the best interpreters of Arvo Pärt's music worldwide. The orchestra's versatile repertoire also includes world premieres of works by Estonian composers. Through collaboration with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Kaljuste introduced the term "listening horizon" to broaden the musical horizons of the Estonian audience by presenting rarely heard music.