Neeme Punder

b. April 20, 1958
Member of the Estonian Flute Association
Member of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians

Neeme Punder graduated from the Tallinn State Conservatoire in flute performance with Elmar Peäske in 1981 and improved his skills in Holland with Wilbert Hazelzet, Walter van Hauwe and Marijke Miessen. He is laureate of State Windplayers Competition 1978.

Neeme Punder is flute and recorder pedagogue in Tallinn Music High School (since 1995), he has been lecturer in Estonian Music Academy in speciality of flute and baroque flute (1990-2005), flute and recorder teacher in Viljandi Music School (1998-2005), flute pedagogue and early music professor in Viljandi Culture Academy (1998-2006), in latter also head of a music department (2004-2006), baroque flute and recorder pedagogue in master’s studies of Latvian Academy of Music (2001–2003). He has conducted the early music interpretation courses in Estonia, Finland, Russia and Germany.

He is artistic director of Viljandi Early Music Festival, initiator of festival “Flutish Kingdom” and several concert series related with flute. Punder has instructed various early music collectives including Old Town Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir. 1998-2005, Neeme Punder was artistic director of the Estonian oldest early music ensemble Viljandi Linnakapell.

Neeme Punder is a foundation member and member of the board of Estonian Flute Association, member of the board of Association of Estonian Professional Musicians. He is active as a producer in State Concert Institute Eesti Kontsert.

He has been soloist in early music ensemble Hortus Musicus in 1979-2005 with whom he has participated in all significant foreign performances at the festivals and reputable concert halls in Europe, Israel, USA, Japan and Russia. Neeme Punder is also known as a interpreter of contemporary music, he has given premieres of many works by Estonian composers (Peeter Vähi, Galina Grigorjeva, René Eespere, Helena Tulve, Toivo Tulev, Tõnu Kõrvits and others). He belongs in the core of new music collective Reval Ensemble and Estonian National Opera Wind Quintet.

Neeme Punder has played in Finnish-Estonian Baroque Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, in the ensembles Estonian Baroque Soloists, The Art Russica and many others. He has performed with many famous musicians like Alexey Lyubimov, Tatyana Grindenko, Gidon Kremer, Paul Hillier, David James, Tõnu Kaljuste, Meelis Vind, Ain Anger, Pille Lill, Toomas Vavilov etc.

Neeme Punder has a solo CD “The Flutish Kingdom” (Erdenklang, 1996). He is a soloist in René Eespere's Flute Concerto No. 2 on CDs “Concertatus celatus” (Bella Musica, 2007) and “René Eespere. Concertos” (Antes 1998), also in Peeter Vähi's Flute Concerto “A Chant of Bamboo” on LP “A Chant of Bamboo” (ERP, 2006). Neeme Punder is a laureate of Viljandi City Culture Prize (1999).

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