Estonian conductor Eri Klas dies
World-famous Estonian conductor Eri Klas has died. Klas worked with over 100 symphonic orchestras in 40 countries.
Born on 7 June 1939 in Tallinn, Klas was introduced to music by his mother, who was a well-known pianist. He graduated Tallinna Muusikakool in 1959 and studied under Estonian composer and conductor Gustav Ernesaks at the Tallinn Conservatory.
He continued his studies at the Leningrad Conservatory as a student of Nikolai Rabinovich and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow under Boris Hajkin.
On from 1965, Klas worked at the Estonia Concert Hall and Opera as a conductor and director. He became chairman of its supervisory board in 2004.
During his career, Klas worked with orchestras from Iceland to Australia and Japan to the United States, including the philharmonic orchestras of Berlin and Munich, the symphony orchestras of the Opéra in Paris and the BBC in London, and famous American orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn