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On May 3, Estonian pianist, chamber musician and teacher Ivari Ilja celebrated his 50th birthday. On this occasion, two concerts will take place – on May 15 at Estonia Concert Hall and May 16 at Pärnu Concert Hall. Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Ivari Ilja and his students Sten Lassmann, Mihkel Poll, Maksim Shtshura, Jaan Kapp and Johan Randvere will perform Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concert No. 1 in D minor, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto in E flat major for two pianos KV 365 and Concerto in F major for three pianos KV 242. Concerts will be conducted by Mihhail Gerts who also has graduated from the piano class of Ivari Ilja. |
Ivari Ilja graduated from Tallinn Music High School in 1977 in the piano class of Eve Paju and Laine Mets. In 1977-1981, he continued his studies at Tallinn State Conservatory with Laine Mets. In 1984, he graduated from Moscow Conservatory in the class of Vera Gornostayeva and in 1986, as a post-graduate student of Sergey Dorensky.
Ivari Ilja won the second prize at the contest of Estonian pianists in 1980, the third prize at the local pianists’ competition of the former Soviet Union in Minsk (1980), he received a Diploma for Artistic Merit at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw (1985) and won the forth prize at the Vianna da Motta Competition in Lisbon (1987).
Ivari Ilja has been a piano teacher at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre since 1986 (1994 associate professor, 1999 professor) and the head of the piano department since 2000. His best known students are Marja Jürisson, Inga Arro, Ave Sikk, Anneli Tohver, Sten Lassmann, Mihkel Poll, Antti Siirala, Mihkel Mattisen, Mihhail Gerts, Maksim Shtshura. Ilja has also conducted master courses in Finland and Estonia.
Ivari Ilja has held recitals in Estonia, Russia, Sweden, Finland and performed as a soloist with several symphony orchestras such as Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra under conducting of Jüri Alperten, Veronika Dudarova, Stephen Gunzenhauser, Eri Klas, Leo Krämer, Theodore Kuchar, Peeter Lilje, Roman Matsov, Andres Mustonen, Hannu Norjanen, Vello Pähn, Urs Schneider and Arvo Volmer.
Ivari Ilja is also a recognized chamber musician. His collaboration with renowned singers Irina Arkhipova, Maria Guleghina, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Elena Zaremba has been particularly successful. Together they have performed on several concert stages of the world, including La Scala in Milan, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, the great halls of St. Peterburg Philharmonic and Moscow Conservatory, Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, Musikverein in Vienna and Mozarteum in Salzburg.
He has recorded music for Estonian Radio as well as for Polish Radio, performing works of Chopin.
In 2001, Ivari Ilja won the Estonian National Culture Award and in 2006, the prize of the Estonian Music Council.
Laura Vaikma