Risto Joost

Risto Joost is one of the most outstanding and versatile conductors of his generation, active in both the opera and concert scenes. He is a broad-minded musician whose rich repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music, often including premieres of new works.

Risto Joost is the music director and chief conductor of the Vanemuine Theatre (since the 2020/21 season) and a conductor in residence at the Estonian National Opera (since 2009). From autumn 2024, Joost will become the chief conductor of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn.

As a sought-after guest conductor, Risto Joost has appeared with many renowned orchestras. He has also conducted highly acclaimed choirs such as the RIAS Chamber Choir, the Berlin Radio Choir, the Swedish Radio Choir, the Ars Nova Copenhagen, the mixed choir Latvija, and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. He was the chief conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir from 2011 to 2015 and the artistic director of the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir from 2015 to 2019. From 2013 to 2019, he was the chief conductor of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.

Risto Joost studied choral and orchestral conducting as well as singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and continued his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He completed his master’s degree at the Royal Collage of Music in Stockholm in the Jorma Panula conducting class.

Risto Joost has received many awards and recognitions. He is a laureate of the Jorma Panula and Nikolai Malko conducting competitions (in 2012 and 2015, respectively).