Andres Mustonen (born 1 September 1953) is an Estonian conductor and violinist.

Biography

Mustonen was born in Tallinn on 1 September 1953. He graduated from the

Tallinn Music High School Tallinn Music High School ( et, Tallinna Muusikakeskkool) is a special music high school in Tallinn, Estonia. History TMHS was founded in 1961 to ensure a sufficient number of quality applicants to the Tallinn State Conservatory (now Estonian ...

in 1972 and five years later both he and Endel Lippus graduated from the

Tallinn State Conservatory The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') began as a mixed choir of the Estonia Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn Higher Musi ...

. Later on, he studied in Austria and the Netherlands and then became a music specialist in his native Estonia and overseas. When he became a conductor he played in such orchestras as

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

's chamber orchestra Sinfonietta Riga and Moscow-based

Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is a Russian classical music radio orchestra established in 1930. It was founded as the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, and served as the official symphony for the Soviet All-Union Radio network. History Follow ...

, Philharmonic Orchestra and Russian National Orchestra. He also was a conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and was in cooperation with

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n and

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n Philharmonic Orchestras. In Estonia he conducted with the

Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Estonian National Symphony Orchestra ( et, Eesti Riiklik Sümfooniaorkester ''(ERSO)'') is the leading orchestra in Estonia and is based in the capital Tallinn. The orchestra traces it roots to 18 December 1926, the first concert broadcast by Tal ...

and

Tallinn Chamber Orchestra Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (TCO, et, Tallinna Kammerorkester) is a chamber orchestra located in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. The orchestra was established in 1993 by the conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. The orchestra's music is mainly distribute ...

along with Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra. Outside of the Soviet Union he participated in the

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Finnish: ''Radion sinfoniaorkesteri'', Swedish: ''Radions symfoniorkester'') is a Finnish broadcast orchestra based in Helsinki, and the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). The orchestra prima ...

and many choirs in Germany,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and the Netherlands. He is well known for performing works of such composers as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,

Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...

, Manuel Cardoso,

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

, Georg Philipp Telemann and Heinrich Schütz. Besides playing classical music of foreign composers, he played such Soviet composers as Gia Kancheli,

Sofia Gubaidulina Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina (russian: Софи́я Асгáтовна Губaйду́лина, link=no , tt-Cyrl, София Әсгать кызы Гобәйдуллина; born 24 October 1931) is a Soviet-Russian composer and an established ...

and

Valentyn Sylvestrov Valentyn Vasylyovych Sylvestrov ( uk, Валенти́н Васи́льович Сильве́стров; born 30 September 1937) is a Ukrainian composer and pianist, who plays and writes contemporary classical music. Biography Valentyn Vasylyov ...

among others. He also worked in collaboration with such violinists as

Sergei Stadler Sergei Stadler (Russian: Сергей Стадлер) is a Russian violinist and conductor. He is currently Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. Biography Laureate of the international music compet ...

, Viktor Tretiakov and

Oleg Kagan Oleg Moiseyevich Kagan (Russian: Оле́г Моисе́евич Кага́н; 22 November 1946 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russian SFSR – 15 July 1990, Munich, West Germany) was a Soviet violinist, known for his chamber collaborations with such musicia ...

from Russia, Danish

Michala Petri Michala Petri (born July 7, 1958) is a Danish recorder player. Her debut as a soloist was in 1969. She is the step-granddaughter of Danish actress Ingeborg Brams. Biography Petri, who began playing the recorder at the age of three, is noted for ...

and French

Patrick Gallois Patrick Gallois (born 1956) is a French flutist and conductor. Gallois was born in Linselles near the town of Lille in the north of France. At the age of 17 he began studies at the Conservatoire de Paris with the celebrated flutist Jean-Pierre Ra ...

and Michel Lethiec among others. In 1972 he became a founder of

Hortus Musicus Hortus Musicus is an Estonian ensemble that was established in 1972 by Andres Mustonen, a violin student of the Tallinn State Conservatory. Hortus Musicus specialises in performing early music, including 8th–15th-century European forms such ...

and worked with the ensemble as a director and conductor ever since. His ensemble performed in such festivals as the Bratislava Music Festival in Slovakia, Israeli Jaffa Festival and Tallinn-Tel Aviv Festival in Tel Aviv, and Lufthansa Baroque Festival in London among other well-known festivals. Besides being a founder of Hortus Musicus he is also a founder of Hortus Music Academic Orchestra which recorded many albums for Warner Classics, Melodiya and many other labels. Somewhere in 2003 he participated in the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and the same year was honoured by the

Estonian Music Council Estonian Music Council (abbreviation EMC, et, Eesti Muusikanõukogu) is an Estonian non-governmental organization which deals with questions related to Estonian music. For example, to enhance cooperation between Estonian and international music ...

with a prize. In 1998 he received the

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

. Currently he gives concerts with such musicians as Tanel Ruben, Taavo Remmel, Jaak Sooäär and many others. In 2014 he established the "Mustonenfest Tallinn Tel Aviv Festival" - an annual event, in which classical collectives from Estonia perform in Israel. He is the artistic director of the festival.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustonen, Andres 1953 births Living people 20th-century conductors (music) Estonian conductors (music) Estonian violinists Tallinn Music High School alumni Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Musicians from Tallinn 20th-century Estonian musicians 21st-century Estonian musicians 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century violinists