Anu Tali

(conductor)

Anu Tali is an internationally acclaimed conductor whose engagements and concert tours have taken her to the podium of many renowned orchestras, including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and many others. She has appeared at numerous prestigious music festivals, including the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Salzburg and Lucerne festivals, and the George Enescu Festival.

Tali served as music director for Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, conducted the Estonian National Opera’s 2010 production of the work, and was music director for Minkus’s ballet “La Bayadère” at the Royal Danish Opera and Ballet. Her recent debuts as music director include productions of “Carmen” at Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville and Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” at the Berlin State Opera. She has collaborated with leading European institutions such as the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt”) and the Nederlandse Reisopera in the Netherlands (Monique Krüs’ “Piratenkoningin”).

Anu Tali is one of the founders and conductors of the Nordic Symphony Orchestra. Under her direction, the orchestra, which has performed since 1997, has presented nearly thirty distinctive concert seasons, including “Musical Capitals of the World”, “Human, Symphony”, “Musica Grande”, “Passion or Suffering”, “À la Russe”, “Face of the North”, “Legends”, “Apocalypsis”, “Strata”, “Meeting Place Estonia”, “Meeting Place Tallinn”, “Stars of the North”, “20 Years Later”, “The Firebird”, “Film”, “100 Tali”, “Abbey Road”, “Emperor”, and many others.

Anu Tali is known for her innovative ideas and initiatives, and she has consistently emphasised the role of music in advancing society. Alongside new works by composers from around the world, her programmes give an important place to Estonian music and musicians. On international stages, she has championed not only works by Estonian composers such as Erkki-Sven Tüür, Alisson Kruusmaa, Tõnu Kõrvits, and Arvo Pärt, but also Estonian performers.

Tali attaches particular importance to working with young people. She founded the charitable initiative “Born to Be Special” and a Young Audience Programme, which has now reached more than 25,000 Estonian schoolchildren. She has also been a highly regarded mentor at training programmes for youth orchestras and conductors around the world.

In Estonia, Tali has performed with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted opera and ballet productions at the Estonian National Opera, and served as a conductor at the National Theatre Vanemuine. She has performed and recorded Estonian music with numerous orchestras around the world and has given concerts in nearly every country. From 2013 to 2018, Anu Tali was Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Sarasota Orchestra in the United States.

Together with the Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Tali has released several recordings. The first, “Swan Flight” (Warner Music / Finlandia Records, 2001), earned her the prestigious ECHO Klassik Award and the title of Young Musician of the Year. It was followed by “Action.Passion.Illusion” (Warner Music, 2005) and “Strata” (ECM, 2010), which is devoted to the music of Erkki-Sven Tüür.
Anu Tali has received the Young Cultural Figure Award from the President of the Republic of Estonia. Estonian Radio has named her Musician of the Year. She has also received the Rising Star Award in Germany (2003) and UNICEF Estonia’s Bluebird Award (2008).