Arvo Volmer

Conductor (Estonia)
Represented in Scandinavia excl. Finland (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden).

August 21 2003 Arvo Volmer was appointed Music Director of the Adelaida Symphony Orchestra, Australia.

In October 2003 Maestro Volmer also became a Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn.

Mr. Volmer is  the prize winner and the Orchestra's Prize winner at the international ”Nikolai Malko” competition in Copenhagen.

The highlights of seasons 2006-07 and 2007-08 include debuts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Aukland Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand, Komishe Opera Berlin, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester, premier of the opera "Wallenberg" by Erki-Sven Tüür at the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn.

Last season included appearances at the Bolshoi Theatre in Mowcow, the City of Birmingham Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane, l'Orchestre de Bretagne.

Maestro Volmer also appeares with Orchestre National de France, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra(Russia), the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Staatsphilharmonie Dortmund, Jena and Münster, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian SO (Perth) and The Tasmanian SO.

Scandinavian appearances of Mr. Volmer have included the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gothenburg Swedish National Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm, the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra and many others including the Malmö and Helsingborg Orchestras in Sweden, Aalborg  and Arhus Orchestras in Denmark and most of the orchestras in Finland.

Maestro Volmer also conducted the Russian Pnhilharmonic Orchestra  in Moscow and the St.-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia, the Radio Symphony and the Groningen SO in the Netherlands, the St Gallen SO and the Biel SO in Switzerland, the Orquestra Nacional do Porto in Portugal, and orchestras in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Israel. He has led the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra on its several tours in Germany and Sweden.

The recording activities of Arvo Volmer include the four released volumes of the complete orchestral works of Leevi Madetoja with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra for Alba Records. The second volume of the cycle received the title "The Recording of the Year" in February 2000. Also under way is a cycle of complete symphonies of Eduard Tubin, with the Estonian National SO, for Alba Records as well.

Guy Richards at "Gramophone" wrote about Arvo Volmer’s last CD with Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra (Sweden)on Sterling Records.“The Orchestra plays splendidly, Arvo Volmershaping the music to perfection… A superb disc – strongly recommended!”

Arvo Volmer started his conducting career at the Estonian National Opera in 1985, while still a student of the Estonian Musical Academy. During his later studies at the St.-Petersburg Conservatory he made his debut with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ENSO), became its Associate Conductor in 1989 and was appointed the Music Director of the ENSO in 1993, a position, which he held until 2001.

Discography

Eduard Tubin — The Complete Symphonies, Estonian National SO, Alba Records ABCD 141; ABCD 147; ABCD 155; ABCD 163

Leevi Madetoja — The Complete Orchestral Works, Oulu SO, Alba Records ABCD 132; ABCD 144; ABCD 156; ABCD 162

Eino Tamberg — Instrumental Concertos, Estonian National SO, Antes BM-CD 31.9151

Flute Concertos — Penderecki; Eespere; Bartok with Jean-Claude Gérard; Estonian National SO, Signum SIG X72-00

Wilhelm Stenhammar — Music for Theatre, Helsingborg SO, Sterling CDS-1045-2

Estonian Piano Concertos — Tubin; Sumera; Lemba with Lauri Väinmaa and the Estonian National SO, Warner/Finlandia 3984-20684-2

Beethoven — Violin Concerto and Romances; Mark Lubotski and the Estonian National SO, Globe  Glo 5155

Arenski; Tchaikovski; Rimski-Korsakov — Violin Concertos and works for Violin and Orchestra; Mark Lubotski and the Estonian National SO, GlobeGlo 5174

Oboe con forza — Oboe Concertos of Börtz and Gamstorp; Helen Jahren and the Helsingborg SO, Phono Sueciae PSCD 128