www.mikkmurdvee.com Photo/Kuva: Mait Jüriado

Mikk Murdvee was born in Tallinn, Estonia on the 20th of March 1980. Mikk started playing violin at the age of six, slightly before he was accepted to Tallinn Music High School. He graduated from Tallinn Music High School in 1998 and up to this time his official teachers had been his mother Niina Murdvee, Harald Aasa and Mari Tampere-Bezrodny.

In 1998 Mikk was accepted to Estonian Academy of Music. From year 1999 he continued violin studies in Sibelius Academy in Finland under Mari Tampere-Bezrodny. He finished violin studies with diploma in 2005 with best possible mark.

He has played as soloist with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, The Polytech Orchestra, Haapsalu Festival Orchestra, Finnish Navy Orchestra and others.
He has been working professionally as concertmaster of Lappeenranta and Seinäjoki City Orchestras, Kymi Sinfonietta, also in Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, Erasmus Chamber Orchestra and Estonian Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra.

He started conducting studies privately with Atso Almila in 2000. In year 2002 he was accepted to world-famous Sibelius Academy conducting class, where his teachers have been L.Segerstam, A.Almila and J.Panula plus many other visiting teachers.
In addition Mikk has taken part of master classes with N.Järvi, P.Järvi, L.Grin, J.Panula, L.Segerstam, E.Klas, J.Domarkas and L.Korchmar, conducting Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony orchestra, St.Petersburg Festival Orchestra, The Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra and Pärnu City Orchestra.

He has conducted Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, Oulu Sinfonia, Lappeenranta and Seinäjoki City Orchestras, Pori Sinfonietta, Heinola Sinfonietta, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Haapsalu City Orchestra and many other orchestras.

He has been assistant conductor in Tampere Opera, assisting Eri Klas in production of Verdi “Otello” in 2005, Andris Nelsons in Donizetti “L’elisir d’Amore” in 2006 and Giancarlo Andretta in Verdi “Aida” 2007.
He has conducted Lehar “Die Lustige Witwe” in Kerava Opera in 2005, and had his own production in Pori Opera in autumn 2006. He returned to Kerava Opera to conduct Kalman “Circus princess” in 2007 and Abraham “Ball im Savoy” in 2009.

He made his Estonian National Opera debut in 2007 conducting Lövenskiold’s “La Sylphide” and returned the same year to conduct Tchaikovski “Nutcracker” as well. In 2008 conducted first Estonian performance of T.Kocsak’s ballet “Snow White and 7 Dwarfs”. He has also conducted several performances of Rossini “La Cenerentola” in ENO.
He is conducting the world premiere of Ilkka Kuusisto’s new opera “Taipaleenjoki” in festival Ilmajoen Musiikkijuhlat in June 2010.

Mikk Murdvee was appointed as assistant conductor of Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat (YS) 2005-2007. He started as principal conductor of YS in August 2007. During his leadership he has taken YS to succesful tours in Sweden, Denmark and Estonia, in addition of concerts and tours in Finland.
He has recieved many prizes and scholarships, including Estonian National Culture Foundation’s “Debut of the Year 2007″ award for debut in Estonian National Opera.