Estonian-born conductor Kristjan Järvi has forged a special connection with audiences across the globe.  Renowned as one of the best communicators on the international stage, he has been hailed by the New York Times as “a kinetic force on the podium, like Leonard Bernstein reborn".

 In his capacity as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna and New York's celebrated Absolute Ensemble, Mr. Järvi is well-known for his musical insight into repertoire ranging from the classical period to the 21st century.  Järvi's flair for imaginative programming is reflected in his recent appointment as Artistic Adviser to the KammerorchesterBasel.

 Kristjan Järvi maintains regular relationships with a number of orchestras including Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Wales, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, NDR Radiophilharmonie and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In 2007/08 he will make his debut with the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. 
 
 In addition to a demanding concert schedule at the esteemed Vienna Musikverein, Järvi and the Tonkünstler Orchestra have toured throughout the U.K, Spain, Germany, Austria, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Upcoming tours include an extensive 11-city tour of the U.K in February 2008 and Japan in October 2008.  Kristjan Järvi and the Tonkünstler Orchestra recently opened the first Grafenegg Summer Festival, together with soloist Renée Fleming, marking a founding partnership as "Orchestra in Residence". 

 Kristjan Järvi is a passionate recording artist, with more than 20 albums to his credit, for which he has received a list of accolades, including a Swedish Grammy for Best Opera Performance, the German Record Critics Prize for Best Album and a Grammy Nomination. Upcoming releases including Franz Schmidt's "Book of the Seven Seals" on the Chandos Label, a cycle of Haydn's "Paris" Symphonies, Steve Reich's "Desert Music" and Bernstein's epic "Mass".

 Kristjan Järvi founded Absolute Ensemble in 1993.  Since its inception it has become one of the foremost chamber ensembles in the world, founded on the principle of "music without borders."  The ensemble is resident annually at Bremen Musikfest and in 2007 was honored with the prestigious Bremen Musikfest Deutschebank Prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement.   Kristjan Järvi's enthusiasm for new music has resulted in the commission of over 100 works by Arvo Pärt, HK Gruber, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Erkki-Sven Tüur and Daniel Schnyder among others. In July 2007 he conducted John Adams' “ Nixon in China” to great critical acclaim at the Cincinnati Opera.

 Kristjan Järvi is a committed advocate of music education and founded Absolute Academy at Bremen University in 2006.  His educational activities have included conducting Japan's Hyogo Youth Orchestra, the Norwegian Youth Orchestra, the Estonian Academy of Music, and directing Ensemble masterclasses at UCLA. 

 An accomplished pianist, Kristjan Järvi studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music with Nina Svetlanova followed by conducting studies at the University of Michigan with Kenneth Kiesler.  He began his career assisting Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with whom he made his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 1999 and went on to become Chief Conductor of the Norrlands Opera and Symphony Orchestra, Sweden (2000-2004). Kristjan Järvi makes his home in Vienna and Florida together with his wife and two sons.