Peeter Sarapuu

Principal Bassoon

PEETER SARAPUU bassoon
With ERSO from 1985–91 and since 1998
Principal Bassoon since 2005

Peeter Sarapuu has spent most of his musical career with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO), where he has served as principal bassoonist since 2005. He first appeared as a soloist with ERSO in 1986. Since then, he has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Israel, with a repertoire that has included bassoon concertos by Vivaldi, C. P. E. Bach, Danzi, Mozart, Weber, Jolivet, Williams, Françaix, Tamberg and Kaumann.

Historically informed performance and playing on period instruments also form an important part of Sarapuu’s musical work. He has collaborated with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including NYYD Ensemble, YXUS Ensemble, the Drottningholm Baroque Orchestra, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, Opus X Ensemble, Corelli Consort, Reval Ensemble, The Theatre of Voices, Kesselberg Ensemble, Melomania, the Jerusalem Chamber Orchestra and the Israel Baroque Orchestra.

Chamber music is another central part of his musical life. As a soloist and chamber musician, Sarapuu has appeared at many international festivals, including NYYD, MärzMusik in Berlin, Klangspuren, the Bruges Festival, Europamusicale, the Haydn Festival in Vienna, and La Folle Journée in France and Japan. He has been a Walter artist since 2010.

Alongside his performing career, Sarapuu has also been active as a teacher for many years. For more than two decades, he has taught at several music institutions in Finland, Tallinn Music High School and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, as well as giving masterclasses across Europe. Since May 2016, he has been Professor of Bassoon at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.