© Alberto Venzago
Paavo Järvi – Music Director
Paavo Järvi has been our Music Director since the 2019/20 season. We find playing under him wonderful, because a special energy is created – and no two concerts are ever alike.
Paavo Järvi studied percussion and conducting in his hometown, Tallinn, when Estonia was still part of the Soviet Union. In 1980, the entire family emigrated to the United States, where Paavo Järvi continued his studies in Los Angeles under Leonard Bernstein. In 2001 he became Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; to this day, he maintains links with the ensemble as Music Director Laureate. Cincinnati was the first of several important international postings: the United States were followed by Germany, France and Japan.
Just as he maintains links with «his» orchestras, Järvi also remains connected with his Estonian homeland, where he supports and promotes Estonian composers. In 2011, together with his father, Neeme Järvi, he founded the Pärnu Music Festival and the Järvi Academy. Paavo Järvi is also a co-founder of Zurich’s Conductors’ Academy, whose winners are also invited to the Järvi Academy.
Paavo Järvi’s influence in Zurich is documented in his first CD recordings made with the orchestra.
«What music is capable of as art is subtle, but powerful. It touches our whole being – in a world of efficiency, productivity and structures that demand a great deal of us. We must create a counterbalance in this world, which we should encounter with humanity – with music, for example.»
In addition, Paavo Järvi…
- works as a guest conductor with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the New York Philharmonic
- has been Chief Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo) since 2015
- is Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
- was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris until 2016
- is Conductor Laureate of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Music Director Laureate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
- was honoured for his interpretations of Beethoven in 2010 and won the OPUS KLASSIK award for Conductor of the Year in 2019
More about Paavo Järvi
How does our music director Paavo Järvi actually get around in Zurich? In the tram, of course. In the newvideo series «Tram for Two» Paavo Järvi takes guests of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich on a ride through the city.
Experience our music director in the new format tonhalleCRUSH, where he not only conducts but also comments on the orchestral works on stage. Then it's on to a contrasting programme in the concert foyer, where a group of musicians will not be playing classical music, but all sorts of other things.
August 2024
Thu 29. Aug
20.00
Gastspiel in Wiesbaden
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Christian Tetzlaff Violine
Beethoven, Brahms
Fri 30. Aug
20.00
Gastspiel in Wiesbaden
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Bruce Liu Klavier
Smetana, Chopin, Brahms
September
Wed 11. Sep
19.30
Gastspiel in Luzern
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Sheku Kanneh-Mason Violoncello
Schostakowitsch, Mahler
Thu 12. Sep
20.30
Gastspiel in Lugano
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Sheku Kanneh-Mason Violoncello
Schostakowitsch, Mahler
Wed 18. Sep
19.30
Season opening with Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Thorvaldsdottir, Strawinsky
Thu 19. Sep
12.15
Orchestra lunch concert with Paavo Järvi
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director
Thorvaldsdottir, Strawinsky
Thu 19. Sep
19.30
Season opening with Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Thorvaldsdottir, Strawinsky
Fri 20. Sep
19.30
Season opening with Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Thorvaldsdottir, Strawinsky
Wed 25. Sep
20.00
Paavo Järvi & Golda Schultz
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Golda Schultz Sopran
Webern, Strauss, Bruckner
Thu 26. Sep
20.00
tonhalleCRUSH
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Golda Schultz Sopran,
Tanya König Moderation
Webern, Strauss
Fri 27. Sep
20.00
Paavo Järvi & Golda Schultz
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Golda Schultz Sopran
Webern, Strauss, Bruckner
October
Wed 23. Oct
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Lisa Batiashvili
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Lisa Batiashvili Violine
Mozart, Prokofjew, Schostakowitsch
Thu 24. Oct
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Lisa Batiashvili
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Lisa Batiashvili Violine
Mozart, Prokofjew, Schostakowitsch
Mon 28. Oct
20.00
Gastspiel in Barcelona
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Lisa Batiashvili Violine
Prokofjew, Mahler
Tue 29. Oct
19.30
Gastspiel in Madrid
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Lisa Batiashvili Violine
Mozart, Prokofjew, Schostakowitsch
Thu 31. Oct
19.30
Gastspiel in Zaragoza
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Lisa Batiashvili Violine
Mozart, Prokofjew, Schostakowitsch
November
January 2025
Wed 22. Jan
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Adams, Mahler
Thu 23. Jan
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Adams, Mahler
Fri 24. Jan
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Adams, Mahler
Thu 30. Jan
18.30
tonhalleCRUSH
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Tanya König Moderation
Schostakowitsch
Fri 31. Jan
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Anna Vinnitskaya
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Anna Vinnitskaya Klavier
Schumann, Schostakowitsch
February
Sat 01. Feb
18.30
Freundeskreis concert
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Anna Vinnitskaya Klavier
Schumann, Schostakowitsch
Sun 02. Feb
17.00
Paavo Järvi & Anna Vinnitskaya
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Anna Vinnitskaya Klavier
Schumann, Schostakowitsch
March
Wed 05. Mar
19.30
Paavo Järvi, Tanja Tetzlaff & Christian Tetzlaff
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Christian Tetzlaff Violine,
Tanja Tetzlaff Violoncello
Ligeti, Brahms, Schumann
Thu 06. Mar
19.30
Paavo Järvi, Tanja Tetzlaff & Christian Tetzlaff
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Christian Tetzlaff Violine,
Tanja Tetzlaff Violoncello
Ligeti, Brahms, Schumann
Fri 07. Mar
22.00
tonhalleLATE – classic meets electronic
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director
Ligeti, Schumann, Kollektiv Packungsbeilage
Wed 12. Mar
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Lutosławski
Thu 13. Mar
12.15
Orchestra lunch concert with Paavo Järvi
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director
Sibelius, Lutosławski
Thu 13. Mar
19.30
Paavo Järvi & Víkingur Ólafsson
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Lutosławski
Sat 15. Mar
20.00
Gastspiel in Hamburg
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Schumann
Sun 16. Mar
20.00
Gastspiel in Hamburg
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Ligeti, Adams, Lutosławski
Tue 18. Mar
20.00
Gastspiel in Paris
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Ligeti, Adams, Schumann
Wed 19. Mar
20.00
Gastspiel in Frankfurt
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Schumann
Fri 21. Mar
20.00
Gastspiel in Köln
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Víkingur Ólafsson Klavier
Brahms, Schumann
Sat 22. Mar
19.00
Gastspiel in Essen
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Anna Vinnitskaya Klavier
Ligeti, Schumann
May
Wed 28. May
19.30
Conductors' Academy: Closing Concert
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Martin Frutiger Englischhorn,
Teilnehmer*innen der Conductors' Academy ,
Andrea Thilo Moderation
Verdi, Vasks, Tschaikowsky, Strauss
June
June 2024
Fri 14. Jun
19.30
Gala Concert Freundeskreis: Janine Jansen plays Sibelius
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Janine Jansen Violine
Rimskij-Korsakow, Sibelius, Rimskij-Korsakow
Thu 13. Jun
19.30
Janine Jansen plays Sibelius
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Janine Jansen Violine
Rimskij-Korsakow, Sibelius, Rimskij-Korsakow
Wed 12. Jun
19.30
Janine Jansen plays Sibelius
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Janine Jansen Violine
Rimskij-Korsakow, Sibelius, Rimskij-Korsakow
Sat 08. Jun
18.30
Concours Géza Anda: Final Concert
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Daumants Liepins Klavier,
Dmitry Yudin Klavier,
Ilya Shmukler Klavier
Beethoven, Bartók, Grieg
Wed 05. Jun
19.30
Conductors' Academy: Closing concert
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Ivo Gass Horn,
Jiaying Ding Dirigentin,
Rosina Flueckiger Dirigentin,
Xiaobo Hu Dirigent,
Julia Kurzydlak Dirigentin,
Ian Niederhoffer Dirigent,
Richard Octaviano Kogima Dirigent,
Andrea Thilo Moderation
Honegger, Strauss, Brahms, Strauss (Sohn)
Tue 04. Jun
13.45
Conductors' Academy: Masterclass
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Ivo Gass Horn,
Jiaying Ding Dirigentin,
Rosina Flueckiger Dirigentin,
Xiaobo Hu Dirigent,
Julia Kurzydlak Dirigentin,
Ian Niederhoffer Dirigent,
Richard Octaviano Kogima Dirigent
Brahms, Strauss (Sohn)
Tue 04. Jun
10.00
Conductors' Academy: Masterclass
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Ivo Gass Horn,
Jiaying Ding Dirigentin,
Rosina Flueckiger Dirigentin,
Xiaobo Hu Dirigent,
Julia Kurzydlak Dirigentin,
Ian Niederhoffer Dirigent,
Richard Octaviano Kogima Dirigent
Strauss, Honegger
Mon 03. Jun
13.45
Conductors' Academy: Masterclass
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Ivo Gass Horn,
Jiaying Ding Dirigentin,
Rosina Flueckiger Dirigentin,
Xiaobo Hu Dirigent,
Julia Kurzydlak Dirigentin,
Ian Niederhoffer Dirigent,
Richard Octaviano Kogima Dirigent
Strauss, Honegger
Mon 03. Jun
10.00
Conductors' Academy: Masterclass
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Ivo Gass Horn,
Jiaying Ding Dirigentin,
Rosina Flueckiger Dirigentin,
Xiaobo Hu Dirigent,
Julia Kurzydlak Dirigentin,
Ian Niederhoffer Dirigent,
Richard Octaviano Kogima Dirigent
Brahms, Strauss (Sohn)
May
Fri 31. May
19.30
Gastspiel in Basel
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Kian Soltani Violoncello
Elgar, Schostakowitsch
Thu 30. May
20.15
Gastspiel in Amsterdam
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Kian Soltani Violoncello
Elgar, Schostakowitsch
Sun 26. May
17.00
Hélène Grimaud plays Beethoven
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Hélène Grimaud Klavier
Mahler, Beethoven, Schostakowitsch
Sat 25. May
18.30
Hélène Grimaud plays Beethoven
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich,
Paavo Järvi Music Director,
Hélène Grimaud Klavier
Mahler, Beethoven, Schostakowitsch
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