VIDEO PODCAST: John Dante Prevedini leads a discussion about Youth Involvement in Classical Music - this specially extended illustrated feature includes contributions from Christopher Morley, Gerald Fenech, Halida Dinova, Patricia Spencer and Roderic Dunnett.
VIDEO PODCAST: Women Composers - Our special hour-long illustrated feature on women composers includes contributions from Diana Ambache, Gail Wein, Hilary Tann, Natalie Artemas-Polak and Victoria Bond.
Estonian Jewish conductor Eri Klas was born in Tallinn on 7 June 1939.
Outside of the Nordic music scene, he was probably best known as chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1996 until 2003. Other significant appointments were with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra (1991-6), the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (1998-2006), Estonian National Opera (1975-95) and Danish Royal Opera (1985-90).
He was a professor at the Sibelius Academy (1993-7) and at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (1997-2016).
He was active in promoting Estonian composers, including Arvo Pärt, and gave the first performances of two works by Alfred Schnittke.
In addition to his musical activities, he was an Estonian lightweight junior boxing champion and a member of the Estonian Olympic Committee.
Eri Klas died in Tallinn on 26 February 2016, aged seventy-six.