Mihkel Poll has performed throughout Europe, in Asia and the U.S. in many important concert halls such as Wigmore Hall and Barbican Hall in London, the Grand Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmony, Grande Salle Pierre Boulez of Paris Philharmony, Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest, Stockholm Berwaldhallen and Tbilisi Khakidze Center.
Mihkel Poll has been an artist-in-residence with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and he has toured several times as a soloist with the Estonian National SO under Neeme Järvi and with the Nordic Symphony Orchestra under Anu Tali.
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Symphony Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Pasdeloup Orchestra, Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Corinthian Chamber Orchestra, Braunschweig Staatskapelle, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Norrbotten Chamber Orchestra, Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia of Birmingham, Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra, Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Neue Lausitzer Philharmonie and others. He has worked with conductors Neeme Järvi, Arvo Volmer, Eri Klas, Paul Mägi, Anu Tali, Olari Elts, Mikhail Agrest. Srba Dinić, Mihhail Gerts, Elena Schwarz, Mikk Murdvee, Michael Seal, Richard Laing, Matt Andrews, Jüri Alperten, and others.
In 2009 Mihkel Poll’s debut CD “20th Century Piano” was released by Ondine. In 2015 his second solo album was released under the DUX label with works from Enescu, Bartok, Tüür and Kõrvits, receiving the Best Estonian Classical Album 2016 award. In 2021 his recording of piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninov and Eduard Tubin with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Mihhail Gerts was released by DUX.
He is also an active chamber musician and performs regularly in a duo with her sister, violinist Mari Poll. In 2017 they released a CD under the DUX label, which received high critical acclaim from the BBC Music Magazine and the Grammphone, as well as the nomination for the Best Estonian Classical Album 2017. Together with cellist Henry-David Varema they perform as the piano trio Poll-Varema-Poll, which is gaining international recognition with upcoming debut concerts at the Berlin Konzerthaus and Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. In 2021 their debut CD „Estonian Piano Trios” was released by DUX.
Mihkel Poll is a member of the piano faculty and head of the Department of Classical Music Performance at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He has given masterclasses in Europe and Asia.
He has won numerous prizes at international competitions including 1st prize and the orchestra’s special award at the Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition in Italy (2004), 1st prize and a special prize at the Tallinn International Piano Competition in Estonia (2006) and 1st prize at the Ferrol International Piano Competition in Spain (2006), to name a few.
Mihkel Poll studied at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with Prof Ivari Ilja and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Prof Ronan O´Hora. He has also attended masterclasses of Prof Eliso Virsaladze at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy.
He is a recipient of the Estonian Cultural Endowment award (2004, 2018 & 2020) and the Presidential Young Cultural Figure award (2013).