The Estonian Saxophone Orchestra (ESO) is a quite new ensemble, which performed for the first time in October 2021 at a gala concert in the Great Hall of the Concert and Theatre Hall of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the founding of the saxophone class at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Malle Maltis’s Scattering Waves and Villu Veski’s “Arrival”, arranged by Andre Maaker, were premiered, while Tõnu Kõrvits’s Landscapes from the Night Train received its Estonian premiere.
In January 2022, the ESO took part in Villu Veski’s jubilee concert “W60” in Tartu and Tallinn, where the orchestra was joined by percussionist Karl-Johan Kullerkupp, and the jubilarian soloist performed arrangements of his songs.
Villu Veski’s song “Mirage” was also performed by the ESO as the opening act of the International Music Day gala concert on 1 October 2022 at Viimsi Artium.
The concert at the Pärnu Music Festival is a collaboration with saxophonist Johan van der Linden and is the culmination of his Järvi Academy saxophone masterclass.