Erki Pehk

Artistic Consultant,
Russia, Baltic countries

 
Estonian conductor Erki Pehk studied piano, choir and orchestra conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn where he graduated in 1993. He continued his studies in orchestra conducting in Riga at the Latvian Academy of Music. During his studies he also participated at the Kirill Kondrashin Conductors Master-class in Hilversum, the Netherlands (1990) and attended a Conducting Interpretation Course in Stuttgart with John Eliot Gardiner (1991). In 1997 he finalized his studies as a post-graduate student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Mr.Pehk has also participated in international competitions and in 1999 and 2001 he was a semi-finalist in the International Conductor's Competition in Besancon (France).
 
17 years (1994 – 2011) he was engaged as a conductor at the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn conducting more than 700 performances of this company. He was also invited to teach conducting at the Tallinn Music College and he held this teaching position from 1992 till 1997. Mr. Pehk has furthermore been involved as Music Director at several large-scale productions of classics from the musical repertoire, with Estonian music theatre company Smithbridge Productions (1998-2008).
 
Since 2001 Mr. Pehk is the Artistic Director of the renowned Klaudia Taev International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Pärnu (Estonia) and in 2005 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Pärnu International Opera Music Festival (PromFest). For his artistic achievements with this festival and for the production of Thaïs by Massenet, Mr. Pehk was given the State Prize of Musical Theatre of Estonia 2010.
 
As an international guest opera conductor Mr. Pehk has conducted in Belarus State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in the season 2010/2011. In November 2010 he made his debut in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the Opera Studio of Netherlands. He also conducted the tour of Die Fledermaus with International Opera Productions in various theatres in Belgium and the Netherlands in January-February 2011.
 
He collaborated with several renowned musicians: violinist Tatiana Grindenko, countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic, flute player Camilla Hoitenga, trumpet player and composer Markus Stockhausen, composer Sofia Gubaidulina etc.
 
In 2000 he founded his own orchestra in Tallinn: the 21st Century Orchestra and he is the principal conductor of this ensemble that plays mostly contemporary but also classic repertoire from Estonian and international composers.
 
Since 2010 he was appointed as the permanent guest conductor of the Belarus State Radio Symphony Orchestra.