Tõnu Kalam
Encyclopedia
Tõnu Kalam is an American
orchestral pianist
and conductor
. He is best known as the music director of the UNC Symphony Orchestra at The University of North Carolina
. He is also the current music director of the Longview Symphony Orchestra.
n parents and has lived in the United States since age 2. He studied at Harvard University
(A.B., 1969), the University of California at Berkeley (M.A., 1971) and the Curtis Institute of Music
(Certificate, 1973). In his training as a classical conductor, composer and pianist, he studied with conductor Max Rudolf and composers Leon Kirchner
and Andrew Imbrie
. Kalam won a prize in the inaugural Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Young Conductor's Competition, and also placed as a finalist in the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductors Program. Also included in his credits are summer fellowships at Tanglewood
and Aspen
, and numerous years at the Marlboro Music School in Vermont
, where he was the guest conductor for the Beethoven Choral Fantasy on five occasions at the invitation of Rudolf Serkin
.
summer chamber music festival in Blue Hill, Maine
, where he served for thirteen years in a variety of administrative and musical capacities including Executive Director, Summer Program Director, Artist-Faculty pianist and chamber music coach. He also serves as Past President of the Board of Directors of the Conductors Guild.
Tõnu Kalam's guest-conducting credits are numerous and include the North Carolina Symphony
, the Madison Symphony Orchestra
, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
and the East Texas Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted over 135 opera performances for a variety of companies including the Shreveport Opera
, the Lake George Opera Festival and the Nevada Opera Company. Kalam's European debut was in 1994 where he conducted the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
in Tallinn
and was immediately reengaged to make festival appearances the following year. He has since returned to Europe in 1997 to guest conduct Finland's
Oulu Symphony Orchestra
and again in 2004 for the fourth time in Estonia
at the Tubin and His Time festival.
Kalam currently teaches instrumental conducting at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1988. He is the Music Director and Conductor of the Longview Symphony Orchestra as well as the Founder, Music Director and Conductor of the Chapel Hill Chamber Orchestra along with the Music Director and Conductor of the UNC Symphony Orchestra.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
orchestral pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. He is best known as the music director of the UNC Symphony Orchestra at The University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He is also the current music director of the Longview Symphony Orchestra.
Early years
Kalam was born to EstoniaEstonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n parents and has lived in the United States since age 2. He studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(A.B., 1969), the University of California at Berkeley (M.A., 1971) and the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
(Certificate, 1973). In his training as a classical conductor, composer and pianist, he studied with conductor Max Rudolf and composers Leon Kirchner
Leon Kirchner
Leon Kirchner was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his String Quartet No. 3.Kirchner was born in Brooklyn, New York...
and Andrew Imbrie
Andrew Imbrie
Andrew Welsh Imbrie was an American composer of contemporary classical music.-Career:Imbrie was born in New York on April 6, 1921, and began his musical training as a pianist when he was 4. In 1937, he went to Paris to study briefly with Nadia Boulanger...
. Kalam won a prize in the inaugural Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Young Conductor's Competition, and also placed as a finalist in the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductors Program. Also included in his credits are summer fellowships at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
and Aspen
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
, and numerous years at the Marlboro Music School in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, where he was the guest conductor for the Beethoven Choral Fantasy on five occasions at the invitation of Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
.
Professional career
Kalam was Music Director of the Illinois Opera Theatre at the University of Illinois for seven years. Since 1984, he has been associated with the Kneisel HallKneisel Hall
Kneisel Hall is an annual chamber music festival and school located in Blue Hill, Maine. The season runs for seven weeks each summer from mid-June until early August. A small faculty works with approximately fifty pre-professional musicians, concentrating almost exclusively on chamber music for...
summer chamber music festival in Blue Hill, Maine
Blue Hill, Maine
Blue Hill is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,390 at the 2000 census. It is home to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the now-closed Liberty School, New Surry Theatre, Kneisel Hall, Bagaduce Music Lending Library, the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club...
, where he served for thirteen years in a variety of administrative and musical capacities including Executive Director, Summer Program Director, Artist-Faculty pianist and chamber music coach. He also serves as Past President of the Board of Directors of the Conductors Guild.
Tõnu Kalam's guest-conducting credits are numerous and include the North Carolina Symphony
North Carolina Symphony
The North Carolina Symphony is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-nine full time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the The Opera Company of North Carolina. In 2007, the organization...
, the Madison Symphony Orchestra
Madison Symphony Orchestra
The Madison Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Its conductor is John DeMain, who began his 14th season with the orchestra in the fall of 2007...
, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra is a symphonic orchestra located in Huntsville, Alabama. The current conductor and music director is Gregory Vajda. Vajda has been the conductor since the 2011-2012 season.-See also:*Alabama Symphony Orchestra...
, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra ' is based in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the largest city in north Louisiana. Founded in 1948, the symphony remains the longest continually performing professional orchestra in Louisiana, despite a musicians' strike in October, 2008, which nearly...
, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1947, is an orchestra located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.In 1940, a group of women formed a string quartet, playing in their own homes, their long-term dream being to have a symphony orchestra able to service the local community...
and the East Texas Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted over 135 opera performances for a variety of companies including the Shreveport Opera
Shreveport Opera
-External links:*...
, the Lake George Opera Festival and the Nevada Opera Company. Kalam's European debut was in 1994 where he conducted the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra is the leading orchestra in Estonia and is based in the capital Tallinn. Founded as the Estonian Radio Symphony Orchestra, it gave its first concert in a broadcast by Tallinn Radio on December 18, 1926...
in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
and was immediately reengaged to make festival appearances the following year. He has since returned to Europe in 1997 to guest conduct Finland's
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Oulu Symphony Orchestra
Oulu Symphony Orchestra
The Oulu Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra in Oulu, Finland. It was founded in 1937 and placed under the control of the City of Oulu in 1951. Notable conductors who have worked with the orchestra include Jean Sibelius and Toivo Kuula....
and again in 2004 for the fourth time in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
at the Tubin and His Time festival.
Kalam currently teaches instrumental conducting at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1988. He is the Music Director and Conductor of the Longview Symphony Orchestra as well as the Founder, Music Director and Conductor of the Chapel Hill Chamber Orchestra along with the Music Director and Conductor of the UNC Symphony Orchestra.