ESOF '19

European Student Orchestra Festival
Choir

April 24th – April 28th 2019

After the huge success of the 2018 edition of the European Student Orchestra Festival in Strasbourg, a new edition in Estonia will be organized.  This festival will be special in all different ways. It will the first ESOFestival held in the Baltics and will be a festival for University Choirs. Home base will the capital city Tallinn with the excellent support of the Tallinn University.

Check below for on the program and the participating choirs!

Wales, Swansea – Swansea University Choral Society

Concert: 26th April

As a non-autitioned choir from Wales, Swansea University Choral Society takes pride in the their hard working members. They reach the highest standard of singing through dedication. Furthermore, the choir is led by a fellow master student in Psychology, Ruth, who has a musical background of playing the viola. Their repertoire varies in genres and eras, but they sing something in Welsh every year.

Webpage: https://www.swansea-union.co.uk/mysociety/Choral

Latvia, Liepaja – Atbalss (University of Liepaja)

Concert: 26th April

Atbalss (Echo) is a female choir founded in 1959 under the University of Liepaja. The young and always changing choir has grown dynamically through decades. As the members of the choir cultivate the music tastes of fellow students and listeners, they have a special role in Latvia’s choral music. They perform mainly Latvian choral music, but also many others. The conductor Ilze Valce is a graduate of Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music and is now a lecturer of the University of Liepaja.

Poland, Warsaw – Chopin University Chamber Choir

Concert: 26th April

Chopin University Chamber Choir is our youngest participant as it was only founded in 2017. The ensemble is mainly formed by students and graduates from all departments and specializations of Warsaw’s Frederic Chopin University of Music. The members are united by the aim of producing the finest performances and recordings of choral music, but also to participate in contests and festivals. Krzysztof Kusiel – Moroz, the conductor of Chopin University Chamber Choir, is the university’s graduate and is now teaching conducting there.

Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/Ch%C3%B3r-Kameralny-Uniwersytetu-Muzycznego-Fryderyka-Chopina-1925831094387502/?ref=bookmarks

Estonia, Tallinn – Chamber Choir of Estonian Academy of Arts

Concert: 25th April

Chamber Choir of Estonian Academy of Arts was established in 2001 as a follow up for Estonian National Art Institute mixed choir. The singers of the choir are from all kinds of different fields. What combines them is an open-minded artistic soul, a wish to surprise audiences in every place with all kinds of weather and a desire to sing and make music together. The choir mostly performs a cappella pieces from Estonian composers. Their conductor Kristel Marand is a graduate from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Opening concerts

Salme Kultuurikeskuses. “Tink-tink-tink tillerille”

The Tallinn University Folk Dance Ensemble Soveldaja’s story started in the middle of 1980s, when Mait Agu founded the group and started instructing it. Today, Soveldaja has four groups of dancers: the mixed group of dancers with a lot of experience in folk dancing and a big wish to do so, an eager mixed group of dancers with previous experience, a group of hard-working dancers who wish to dance a lot and an energetic female group. The Folk Dance Ensemble Soveldaja has participated in the nationwide dance celebrations, Gaudeamus festival and Finnish-Estonian dance celebrations. They go dancing and having fun at folklore festivals in foreign countries, but also smaller dancing events in Estonia, for example the Võru Folk Dance Festival, different dance competitions and winter dance celebrations all over Estonia. During their time outside the practising rooms, the members of Soveldaja can often be seen in folk dance events in Tallinn. The name of the ensemble Soveldaja is derived from the Estonian word “soveldama”, which means creating, arranging, designing. In addition to the ensemble’s principle to create beauty and positive emotions through dance, the group’s instructors themselves have been productive at creating dances. During previous years, a big part of Soveldaja’s repertoir consisted of Helen Reimand’s author dances. Also, Elo Unt, the current instructor, has arr many dances for the group.

With the longest history of all the Tallinn University choirs, the Women’s Choir is a group of vivacious women who love singing. The choir includes current students as well as alumni. The conductors of the choir is Toomas Voll. Our wide-ranging repertoire consists of both clerical and secular music. We have successfully participated in many choir contests, both in Estonia and abroad, for example in Belgium, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We love to sing and travel! We make choir life even more fun with various events for the singers or with other cultural groups. Initiating new singers has become a tradition, as well as Christmas parties, summer outings and many other activities.

Tallinn University vocal ensemble Vox Nova started in Autumn 2015 on the basis of Tallinn University Chambe Choir singers. Most of it’s singers are Tallinn University students and alumni and perform a wide a capella repertoire from early music to pop-jazz arrangements. Singing together and music is our passion what we aim to pass on to the audience.

Lithuania, Vilnius – “Kariūnas” (General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania)

Concert: 25th April

The choir “Kariūnas” was established in 1995 at General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. In Lithuania, it is the only military choir wherein only the cadets of the Academy sing. They make up a vocal ensemble preparing a different repertoire. Since the beginning of the academic year 2016–2017, the choirmaster of the choir “Kariūnas” has been Linas Balandis with choirmaster-concertmaster Anna Miščenko. Under their guidance, the choir “Kariūnas” has taken part in various celebrations and festivals.

Download the full programme here.

April 25th 2019

Tallinna Ülikooli aula (Narva mnt 25, Tallinn) // Tallinn University Ceremonial Hall

18:00 Male choir Brahe Djäknar (Åbo Akademi, Finland)
19:00 EKA Chamber Choir (Estonian Academy of Arts)
20:00 Male choir “Kariūnas” (General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania)

 

April 26th 2019

Tallinna Kaarli kirik
18:00 Swansea University Choral Society (Wales)
19:00 Female Choir “Atbalss” (Liepaja University, Latvia)
20:00 Chopin University Chamber Choir (Poland)

 

April 27th 2019

Tallinna Ülikooli aula
18:00 Vocal group Kuokkavieraat (University of Helsinki)
19:00 EBS Chamber Choir (Estonian Business School)

Organizing Team

Main lead:
Janne Jakobson

Merilin Tammik
Karl Viilmann
Kristen Kivistik
Taave Lips
Lauri Pihlak
Evelyn Arukask
Katariina Linde
Maren Aare
Anu Carlsson
Hannele Lüsi

If we all end up in prison one day for illegal music downloads, I can only hope that they divide us by music genres.