He was a professor at Sibelius Academy from 1993 to 1997 and at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre from 1997 until his death in 2016. He was honored with the Order of the Lion of Finland and Order of the White Star in 1992. He was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 1986, he was named a People's Artist of the USSR. He was also a member of the Estonian Olympic Committee.