Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

One of the globe’s most celebrated vocal ensembles, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir has long championed works by Estonian creators. Renowned for its sustained artistic standard, the group has partnered with leading orchestras and maestros across continents. Its 2021 BIS release presented compositions by Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt.

Tõnu Kaljuste established the professional choir in 1981, building directly on the foundation of his father Heino Kaljuste’s amateur group Ellerhein. For two decades he shaped the ensemble as principal conductor and artistic director, steering its programs and discography toward Estonian repertoire—chiefly pieces by Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis—while encompassing Gregorian chant, Baroque and Classical masterpieces, and new music. In 1991 the choir captured first prize at Japan’s Takarazuka Chamber Choir Competition; two years afterward it earned its initial Grammy nomination for the recording of Te Deum.

Kaljuste stepped into the role of honorary conductor in 2001, at which point Paul Hillier assumed leadership as chief conductor and artistic director. Hillier broadened the ensemble’s stylistic reach, overseeing the acclaimed Baltic Voices recording series and securing a Grammy for Da Pacem in 2006. Daniel Reuss took the chief conductor and artistic director post in 2008; the first fruit of their partnership was a 2010 release of Frank Martin’s oratorio Golgotha.

A sustained collaboration with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra has proved especially fruitful, exemplified by the 2012 album Arvo Pärt: Adam’s Lament under Kaljuste’s baton, which brought the choir its second Grammy Award in 2014. Beyond this alliance, the EPCC has maintained wide-ranging international ties, appearing under conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Neeme Järvi, and Sir Colin Davis alongside orchestras including the London Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony.

Kaspars Putniņš held the position of chief conductor and artistic director from 2014 to 2021. During his tenure the ensemble received a Gramophone Award in 2018 for its recording of music by Pärt and Schnittke. Dozens of albums have appeared on Harmonia Mundi, ECM, and Ondine; four of them emerged in 2019 alone, among them a collection of sacred works by Liszt and Pärt issued on Ondine. In 2021 the choir released both a Schnittke–Pärt program on BIS and the album Veljo Tormis: Aastaaegade laulud. That same year Kaljuste resumed his duties as artistic director and chief conductor.