In the 20th century one of the world’s greatest conducting schools developed at the St. Petersburg, where many now world famous conductors like Neeme Järvi were educated. Conductors of these schools distinguish themselves in the first place by a high standard of musicality and the manual technique to communicate their ideas to the orchestra, but also a thorough knowledge of basics like repertoire, bowings of strings and traditions.
Since 2000 Neeme Järvi found every year time in his busy schedule to teach young talent during the Oistrahh Festival in Pärnu and a special course with the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague. To meet the Neeme Järvi's demands of surrounding, inspiration of nature and expansion of the master class itself, the master class operates since 2009 as an individual organization (Haapsalu foundation). The yearly summer course for conductors takes place in the summer resort Pärnu but with concerts at Leigo during the Leigo Music Days as well. As became obvious in previous courses, Neeme Järvi is teaching his students with the same inspiration and musical results as he reaches with his orchestras, helping them create moving and inspirational music themselves that will leap off the sheet music and into the ears, hearing aids and speakers of symphony lovers around the world. Participating at the Neeme Järvi International Master class for Conductors means getting to the core of music, conducting and pushing yourself to highest professional levels. Many of his students therefore return every year to participate in his course and many new students find their way to become one of his students. Several of them find their way into a professional conducting career.
Leonid Grin, teacher of masterclasses
Leonid Grin is a well known conductor with an impressive international career, conducting the world’s finest orchestras and operas and working together with famous soloists. In addition to that he has proven to be an excellent teacher attracting many young students from all over the world and being responsible for educating the greatest talents of the younger generation of conductors such as Paavo Järvi.
We are therefore very proud, that Leonid Grin will assist Neeme Järvi in teaching the participants of this year’s summer academy. He studied composition and conducting under Leo Ginsburg and Kiril Kondrashin and is therefore, like Neem Järvi, a good representative of the old Russian school of conducting.