Olari Elts

Olari Elts (* April 27, 1971 in Tallinn, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union) is an Estonian conductor.

Olari Elts began training as a choral conductor at the Estonian Academy of Music with Kuno Areng in the years 1993 to 2000 and then learned the conducting of orchestras at the Vienna Music Academy under Uroš Lajovic and again the Estonian Academy of Music with Roman Matsov and Eri Klas. In addition, he was informed by Jorma Panula and attended master classes with Esa- Pekka Salonen and Neeme Järvi.

From 2001 to 2006 he was Music Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. In addition, and then he has performed with many orchestras of international standing, in Germany with the Dresden Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie -Orchester Berlin and the Radio Symphony Orchestras of Frankfurt and Stuttgart. He regularly is also active as an opera conductor at the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn.

Elts is Chief Conductor of 1993 he founded NYYD ensemble, directed his attention to the performance of contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Awards and Honors

In 1999 Olari Elts won the Finnish Jorma Panula - Prize, in the following year the first prize in the International Sibelius Conductors Competition. The Republic of Estonia awarded him in February 2001 for his services to the music of the Order of the white star in the fourth category.