The Estonian conductor Eri Klas, whose greatest musical influence came from David Oistrakh, a great friend of his family, guest conducts frequently on the North American continent. In 1995, he made his début at Severance Hall in Cleveland, and at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, after successful appearances at Blossom Center and Ravinia. He has been a regular guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as at Hollywood Bowl since his début there in 1991, which also marked his first appearance in the United States. Since then, he has appeared with most of the major North American orchestras. He is equally in demand throughout Europe and Asia, where he conducted a most successful tour of the Asian Youth Orchestra with the violinist Gidon Kremer as soloist. He has conducted orchestras throughout Australia and Mexico. In 1989 he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, followed by appearances in Munich and Hamburg, and has collaborated with major orchestras throughout Europe. In Scandinavia his name is closely associated with the Stockholm and Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Swedish and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestras. In 1964 Eri Klas made his conducting début at the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn, where he was appointed music director in 1975 and is now conductor laureate. He conducted the Bolshoy Opera in Moscow between 1969 and 1971, and toured with them to Paris, Tokyo, and Athens. Between 1985 and 1990, he was music director of the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Eri Klas is closely associated with leading composers, conducting world premiÚres of works by
July 2002
