Since the beginning of 2024, the chief conductor of the Estonian Youth Wind Orchestra has been Silver Niinemets.
Silver studied classical trumpet at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp in Belgium. Since 2025, Silver has been working as a brass teacher at the Saku Musicschool, and since 2019 as a trumpet player in the Tallinn Police Orchestra. In addition to Estonian Youth Wind Orchesra, Silver is also the conductor of the Rapla County Youth Wind Orchestra.
Silver’s path to the conductor’s podium began at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School, where wind orchestra conducting was part of the compulsory curriculum. To gain experience, Tõnu Soosõrv, the conductor of the Rapla County Youth Wind Orchestra, invited Silver to try conducting his home orchestra, where Silver was playing trumpet. Silver enjoyed the new role, became the second conductor of the orchestra, and later consciously chose several conducting-related subjects at the university.
At the beginning of 2024, Silver was elected chief conductor of the Estonian Youth Wind Orchestra. Six players from the previous lineup continued, and Silver began to rebuild the orchestra and gather the best players from across Estonia. Silver enjoys his role as conductor of the Estonian Youth Wind Orchestra. The players are capable, the repertoire is demanding, and the young musicians accept all the challenges Silver sets for them. The youth appreciate having an active and youthful leader in front of the orchestra, who also takes their wishes into account and treats them as equals.
