“The two week­ long music festival run by Paavo Järvi in the idyllic seaside town of Pärnu is a symbol of its country’s highest cultural ties with the best of the rest of Europe.” (David Nice, The Arts Desk)

The Pärnu Festival and Järvi Academy were founded by Paavo Järvi in 2011 together with his father, Neeme Järvi, and it’s family atmosphere envelopes the visiting musicians, students and audience alike creating a unique summer refuge on the Estonian coast.

Having grown up in Tallinn, Pärnu has always held a special place in Paavo’s heart as it was where the family traditionally gathered for summer holidays. During occupation it was also the summer home of artists including Dmitri Shostakovich and David Oistrakh who visited for the nearest thing to western tolerance and understanding in the Soviet Union. Pärnu was a place for artists to relax and enjoy each other’s company and it was here in 1973 that a young Paavo met Shostakovich for the first time.

It was also here that David Oistrakh invited musicians and students to join him for ad hoc performances in the little green Dacha which he rented each summer before his death in 1974. It was in this spirit that Paavo Järvi decided to return to Pärnu, surrounded by his family, and create a festival offering masterclasses to international young conductors, creating an Academy Orchestra comprising the very best of young Estonian musical talent and the Estonian Festival Orchestra – hand-picked by Paavo, including professional Estonian musicians complemented by soloists from the top European orchestras. In addition to playing in the Festival Orchestra, these guest musicians also perform chamber music concerts and offer advice to the younger generation of musicians.

The 2026 Pärnu Music Festival marks 35 years of renewed Estonian Independence with a programme celebrating nature, international talent and the next generation.

Neeme Järvi and the Järvi Academy Youth Orchestra open the festival (8 July) with performances of Heino Eller’s evocative symphonic poems Koit (Dawn) and Videvik (Twilight), alongside Dvořák’s In Nature’s Realm and Smetana’s The Moldau. Kristjan Järvi and Nordic Pulse follow with a performance honouring the Summer Solstice (2 concerts on 10 July).

Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra extend the festival’s journey through nature, with richly contrasted programmes featuring Carl Nielsen’s Sinfonia Espansiva and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. They are joined by Latvian sisters Kristīne and Margarita Balanas in Philip Glass’s Double Concerto (13 July) and star soloists Rudolf Buchbinder and Alice Sara Ott for performances of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 3 in the festival’s closing concerts (17, 18 July).

With four world-premieres this summer, the Pärnu Music Festival continues its commitment to championing contemporary music. Highlights include the first performance of Tõnu Kõrvits’ Viola Concerto, with soloist Amihai Grosz (11 July), and the continuation of a major initiative launched by Paavo Järvi in 2024 to commission new works by Estonian female composers. This year’s featured composers are Liisa Hõbepappel (12 July) and Evelin Seppar (17 July).

In a further new initiative, Paavo Järvi will invite emerging soloists (to be announced) to perform with the Estonian Festival Orchestra in a Young Talents concert (14 July). Designed to support artists at the threshold of their international careers, the project creates a significant platform for the next generation of performers. Together with the annual Järvi Academy for conductors and young instrumentalists—whose masterclasses and concerts have been integral to the festival since its inception—this new project underscores the festival’s long-standing dedication to artistic mentorship and development.