Vello Pähn

Estonian conductor Vello Pähn studied at the Tallinn and St Petersburg conservatories with maestro Mariss Jansons. Early in his career, he collaborated with legendary dancer Rudolf Nureyev and choreographer John Neumeier. This resulted in him being invited to the world's leading theatres and ballet companies, where he conducted such classic full-length ballets as Cinderella, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, among others. His excellent knowledge of and extensive experience with the classical ballet repertoire has made him a popular guest conductor at the Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris, Hamburg Ballett, Wiener Staatsballet and the Staatsballett Berlin for more than 25 years. In addition, Pähn has since become a much sought-after opera conductor, with guest appearances at the Staatsoper Berlin, l'Opéra national de Paris, Savonlinna Opera Festival and the Royal Danish Opera, among others. He was also chief conductor and artistic director of the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn from 2012 to 2019. Pähn made his debut with Dutch National Ballet in 2022, with the world premiere of Rachel Beaujean's production of Raymonda. He previously provided the musical direction for Rudolf Nureyev's version of the ballet at the Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris. Besides Raymonda with Dutch National Ballet, this season Pähn will conduct productions in Copenhagen, Oslo and Paris, among others, and will make his debut with the Bayerisches Staatsballett with Tchaikovsky's Onegin (choreography by John Cranko).

Last update: 7 December 2023