Bio

Like many other successful alumni of the famous conducting class of the Sibelius Academy, Mikk Murdvee started his musical studies as a violinist, graduating from the violin class of Mari Tampere-Bezrodny with the highest possible grade in 2005. Parallel to the violin, Mikk studied conducting with Leif Segerstam, Atso Almila and Jorma Panula, making his conducting diploma in 2007. He received his early musical education in the Tallinn Music High School where his teachers were Niina Murdvee, Harald Aasa and Mari Tampere-Bezrodny.

In 2007 Mikk Murdvee became Principal Conductor of the Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra (Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat), with which he has made successful tours to Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia and recorded a CD for Toccata Classics.
He has been chief conductor of Tallinn Music High School Symphony Orchestra 2011-2015.

Today Mikk Murdvee is internationally active as a conductor and as a violinist. His recent projects have included conducting the world premiere of Ilkka Kuusisto’s opera “Taipaleenjoki” in the Ilmajoen Musiikkijuhlat festival in June 2010, 2011 and 2012 which had immense popular success.

Mikk Murdvee is regularly conducting the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and has conducted also the Philharmonic Orchestras of Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, the Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Vaasa, Joensuu, Lappeenranta, Pori, Seinäjoki and Kemi City Orchestras, the Symphony Orchestras of the London Royal College of Music, Sibelius Academy and Metropolia, the Southbank Sinfonia of London and many others.

During 2011 he worked as Assistant to Esa-Pekka Salonen in several projects with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

World premiere recording of Ernst Mielck’s cantatas and ouvertures with the Helsinki University SO for the Toccata Classics label and world premiere recordings of many Estonian composer’s music with Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.

Mikk made his much acclaimed debut with the Estonian National Opera in 2007 conducting Lövenskiold’s “La Sylphide” and returned the same year to conduct other performances including Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” and Rossini’s “La Cenerentola”. He has also worked with the Lohja, Pori and Kerava Operas and as an Assistant Conductor in the Tampere Opera.

He is also praised for making many new editions of orchestral works including Ernst Mielck’s Macbeth Ouverture and Finnish Suite as well as Aarre Merikanto’s Savannah-la-Mar and Ester Mägi’s “Kalevipoja teekond Soome”.

Apart from conducting, he is internationally sought after as violin soloist, concert master, chamber music partner and teacher.