Paavo Järvi (pronounced "PAH-voh YAR-vee" in Estonian; born December 30, 1962) is a conductor from Estonia and the United States. He currently works as the main conductor and music leader of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, as the artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and as the founder and artistic director of the Estonian Festival Orchestra.

Early life

Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia, which was part of the Soviet Union at that time. His parents were Liilia Järvi and Neeme Järvi, an Estonian conductor. His siblings, Kristjan Järvi and Maarika Järvi, are also musicians. In 1980, the family moved to the United States. Järvi studied with Leonid Grin in Philadelphia, attended the Curtis Institute of Music with teachers Max Rudolf and Otto-Werner Mueller, and participated in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute with Leonard Bernstein. In the 1990s, the family returned to Estonia.

Career

From 1994 to 1997, Järvi was the Principal Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. From 1995 to 1998, he shared the title of Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra with Sir Andrew Davis. From 2001 to 2011, he was the music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and later became Music Director Laureate.

Since 2004, Järvi has been the artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and an Artistic Advisor to the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. In 2006, he became the Chief Conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and held this position until 2014, after which he was named Conductor Laureate. In 2010, he became the music director of the Orchestre de Paris, serving until 2016. That same year, he was named Artist of the Year by Gramophone and Diapason magazines.

Järvi is the founder and artistic director of the Pärnu Music Festival and the Estonian Festival Orchestra. The festival, launched in 2011, is recognized as Estonia’s leading classical music event, featuring 10 days of concerts every July on the Baltic coast. In addition to festival performances, Paavo Järvi regularly leads the Estonian Festival Orchestra on tours in Europe and Asia. In 2025, the orchestra made its New York debut, performing at Carnegie Hall’s 90th birthday tribute to Arvo Pärt.

In June 2012, the NHK Symphony Orchestra appointed Järvi as its Chief Conductor, starting in the 2015–2016 season. He held this role until August 2022, after which he was named Honorary Conductor.

Järvi first guest-conducted the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in 2009 and returned in December 2016. He began his tenure as the orchestra’s Chief Conductor and music director in September 2019. In 2022, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich extended his contract through the 2028–2029 season.

In March 2026, the London Philharmonic Orchestra announced the appointment of Järvi as its next chief conductor and artistic advisor, effective with the 2028–2029 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.

Järvi has recorded for labels such as Alpha Classics, RCA, Deutsche Grammophon, PENTATONE, Telarc, ECM, BIS, and Virgin Records. His Virgin Classics recording of Sibelius Cantatas with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Male Choir, and Ellerhein Girls Choir won a Grammy Award for "Best Choral Performance."

Personal life

Järvi has two daughters, Lea and Ingrid, from his previous marriage to the violinist Tatiana Berman. Järvi was featured in the documentary Maestro, directed by David Donnelly. He became a U.S. citizen in 1985.

Awards

• 2002: Received the Estonian Performing Arts Foundation Award for outstanding performances of Estonian music abroad
• 2004: Won Grammy Awards
• 2012: Received the Hindemith Prize from the City of Hanau
• 2012: Named Musician of the Year by Estonian Radio
• 2012: Awarded Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
• 2012: Received the Estonian Performing Arts Foundation Award for organizing the Järvi Festival and helping Estonian music become known around the world
• 2013: Received the Order of the White Star from Estonia
• 2015: Awarded the Sibelius Medal
• 2017: Received the Estonian Music Council Music Award for keeping Estonian music famous globally as a top conductor
• 2019: Won the Echo Klassik Award, a major German classical music award, for recording all of Jean Sibelius' symphonies with the Paris Orchestra
• 2024: Received the Postimees Award for Cultural Mover for spreading Estonian music worldwide, starting the Estonian Festival Orchestra, and making it influential
• 2024: Won the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) for the best symphonic music recording of the year (to Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle Symphony Orchestra of Zurich for recording Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8)