The Estonian Festival Orchestra was founded in 2011 by Paavo Järvi as the resident orchestra of the Pärnu Music Festival, whose vision was to create a hand-picked ensemble bringing together leading Estonian musicians with outstanding players from orchestras around the world. What began as a summer festival orchestra has since grown into an internationally acclaimed ensemble, known for its distinctive sound, energy and unique blend of Estonian and international talent.
The orchestra embarked on its first major European tour in 2018, performing in Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Luxembourg, Vienna and Zürich. That same year, it made landmark debuts at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and London’s Royal Albert Hall, becoming the first Estonian ensemble to perform at the BBC Proms. Since then, it has toured extensively across Europe and Asia and made its North American debut at Carnegie Hall in 2025. This year the orchestra returns to South Korea and makes its debut in China.
The Estonian Festival Orchestra has released seven albums on Alpha Classics, all recorded at the Pärnu Music Festival: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 & Sinfonietta; Mythos, celebrating Erkki-Sven Tüür’s 60th birthday; Estonian Premieres, featuring works by Tõnu Kõrvits, Ülo Krigul, Helena Tulve, Tauno Aints and Lepo Sumera; Kratt intertwining music by Eduard Tubin with Witold Lutosławski and Grażyna Bacewicz; Ship of Fools, dedicated to newly commissioned works by Jüri Reinvere; Credo, a major tribute to Arvo Pärt on his 90th birthday; and Prophecy, a celebration of Baltic music with accordion soloist Ksenija Sidorova.
