Tõnu Kaljuste was born in Tallinn, Estonia, in 1953. He has worked with orchestras and choirs all over the world has has been an acclaimed principal conductor of both the Swedish Radio Choir and the Netherlands Chamber Choir. Since 2001 he has worked internationally as a freelance conductor. Kaljuste is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and has received prestigious prizes including the Japanese ABC Music Fund Award and the International Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music.