Gerts’ left-hand gestures were subtle and expressive while the right was rhythmical and the players responded to these communicative instructions with understanding and conviction – Bachtrack

Combining expressive charm, clear technique and meticulous attention to detail, Mihhail Gerts has recently drawn attention for successful debuts with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Staatskapelle Dresden, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. With a passion for the music of his native Estonia, Gerts is Founder and Artistic Director of the TubIN Festival, honouring the work and legacy of Estonian refugee Eduard Tubin.

In the 2023–24 season Gerts conducted Belgrade Philharmonic, Latvian National Symphony, Gulbenkian, Ulster and Odense Symphony orchestras, George Enescu Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Dortmunder Philharmoniker and Orchestre National de Pays de la Loire, in repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to world premieres by Signe Lykke and Tovio Tulev, via Bach, Brahms, Ravel, Prokofiev and Arvo Pärt. At the TubIN Festival he conducted Tubin’s Seventh and Eighth symphonies.

Forthcoming engagements include with RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra.

Gerts spent his formative years as Resident Conductor of Estonian National Opera (2007–14) during which time he conducted over 40 different productions, followed by a period as Deputy GMD of the Hagen Theater (2015–17). As a guest he has conducted opera productions at Teatro la Fenice, Teatro delle Muse, Opera de St-Etienne and Belarus National Opera, with repertoire ranging from Mozart and Verdi to lesser-known works such as Clémence de Grandval’s Mazeppa.

Gerts studied conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music and completed his PhD at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He was invited onto the Deutsche Dirigentenforum from 2013 until 2017 and was a finalist at the Donatella Flick and Evgeny Svetlanov Conducting Competitions in 2014.