Biography
Mati Turi studied first of all in Tartu, Estonia, where he completed a degree in choir conducting at the Music Academy of Estonia under Ants Üleoja in 1996. He later participated in master classes in Finland and Sweden; his teacher at the moment is Jaakko Ryhänen.
Turi has long been a favourite soloist in large-scale works of church music in Estonia. Between 1992-2004 he was a permanent soloist with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. He has performed as a soloist in, among others, Händel's Messiah and Bach's Passions, cantatas and masses. Turi has achieved an international reputation in recent years and has worked with the following conductors, among others: Eric Ericson, Robert Cannetti, Sigvards Klava, Howard Arman, Herbert Böck, Tõnu Kaljuste, Olari Elts, Arvo Volmer and Eri Klas. His most recent important engagements include his performance as soloist in Il Giardellino with an orchestra from Bruges in Belgium that specializes in playing old music, and his performance in Dvorák's Requiem with the Estonian Theatre at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Finland.
In recent years Turi has added several opera roles to his repertoire. He has performed in Adams’ opera Nixon in China, and in Hayden's L'Isola disabitata in 2004 and Il Mondo della Luna in 2005, the latter two operas with the Narge Opera in his home country, Estonia. In April 2005 Turi visited the Tampere Opera in the role of Cassio in Otello and in May 2005 he performed at the premiere of Hayden's Armida in the role of Rinaldo.