Ivari Ilja

May 3, 1959, Tallinn
Member of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians
Member of the Association of Estonian Theatre since 1980

Ivari Ilja is one of the most exceptional and memorable talents among Estonian pianists. Besides being a brilliant soloist, he is highly appreciated as an ensemble partner and a teacher.

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.

Already during his university years, Ilja took part in piano competitions and was awarded many prizes: the second prize at the Contest of Estonian Pianists in 1980, the third prize at the Contest of Pianists in Minsk (1980), he received a Diploma for Artistic Merit at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw (1985) and won the fourth prize and a Special Prize at the Vianna da Motta Competition in Lisbon (1987).

In 1978-1981, Ilja worked as a rehearsal pianist at the Estonian National Opera. After finishing his studies in Moscow in 1986, he started teaching piano at the Tallinn State Conservatory (since 1994 an associate professor, since 1999 a professor). Since 2000, Ilja has been the head of the piano department of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and since 2017, he is the rector of the academy. His best-known students are Marja Jürisson, Inga Arro, Ave Sikk, Anneli Tohver, Sten Lassmann, Mihkel Poll, Antti Siirala, Mihkel Mattisen, Mihhail Gerts, Maksim Štšura. Ilja has conducted master courses in Finland (at the Sibelius Academy and in Jyväskylä Conservatory) and in 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, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Nordic Symphony Orchestra under Jüri Alperten, Veronika Dudarova, Stephen Gunzenhauser, Eri Klas, Leo Krämer, Theodore Kuchar, Peeter Lilje, Roman Matsov, Andres Mustonen, Hannu Norjanen, Vello Pähn, Urs Schneider, Arvo Volmer and Anu Tali. As a soloist, he has accompanied the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra on several tours to Germany, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania.

Ivari Ilja is also a recognized ensemble musician. His collaboration with renowned singers mezzo-soprano Irina Arkhipova, soprano Maria Guleghina, baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky and mezzo-soprano 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, Suntory Hall of Tokyo, Alice Tully Hall of New York, the Kennedy Center of Washington, Musikverein of Vienna, Mozarteum of Salzburg. Since 2003, he has repeatedly toured with Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the U.S., England and elsewhere. Ilja has also collaborated with numerous Estonian singers, including sopranos Margarita Voites and Pille Lill, tenor Juhan Tralla and baritone Taimo Toomast. As an accompanist, Ilja has participated in several musical films and accompanied singers at many international competitions, including Viñas Competition in Barcelona and the Rosa Ponselle Competition in Washington.

His repertoire mostly consists of romantic music, primarily of the works by Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, but also Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten (including his piano concerto) and others. He has been recorded by Estonian Radio as well as the Polish Radio (performing works of Chopin), in 2012, CD Rachmaninov Romances with baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky was released by Ondine.

In 2001, Ilja was awarded the Estonian National Culture Award and in 2006, the prize of the Estonian Music Council.

© EMIC 2008
(updated January 2015)

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