Silver Ainomäe to Lead UMN Music Cello Studio

The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities School of Music is thrilled to announce the appointment of Silver Ainomäe to lead the cello studio starting Fall 2024. Ainomäe currently serves on the Minnesota Orchestra as the Associate Principal Cello. 

“We are so thrilled to have Mr. Ainomäe join our string faculty,” writes Patrick Warfield, Director of the School of Music at the University of Minnesota. “He brings vast international experience, incredible artistic accomplishment, and a deep connection to our Twin Cities community. I know that our students will benefit from his professional knowledge and deep commitment to teaching.”

Biography

Silver Ainomäe was born in Tallinn, Estonia. At the age of six he began to play the cello and piano. In 1990 Silver's family migrated from Estonia to Finland and at the age of twelve, he was accepted to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where his teachers were Hannu Kiiski and Arto Noras. After receiving a master’s degree at the Sibelius Academy, Silver attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Razumovsky Academy under the guidance of Oleg Kogan. He has been awarded multiple prizes and awards at competitions worldwide including the Isang Yun, Lutoslawski, and Paulo competitions.

Silver has performed in more than 30 countries as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. His solo debut was with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2000. He has since performed concertos with the Finnish Radio Orchestra, Zürich Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Polish Radio Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta and Colorado Symphony under conductors such as Paavo Järvi, Andrew Litton, Marin Alsop, and Claus-Peter Flor. Principal cellist of the Colorado Symphony from 2009 to 2016, when he joined the Minnesota Orchestra, Silver has also appeared as guest principal with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. 

In a June 2023 subscription concert at Orchestra Hall, he performed Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra alongside First Associate Concertmaster Susie Park. An active chamber musician and educator, he has performed and taught at the most prominent festivals in Finland, Estonia, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Silver enjoys hiking with his dogs, canoeing the Boundary Waters, and playing hockey in the Twin Cities area.

Photo: Zoe Prints-Flash