News

Spring ETHNO 2012

2012-01-30

21-24 March, 2012

The camp is meant for everyone aged 14-35 who is interested in playing a musical instrument and who wishes to learn more about Estonian and Scottish traditional music and get to know about different styles of traditional music.

The main supervisors are Kate Young, Merike Paberits and Jaan Jaago.

Festival logo has been chosen!

2011-12-06

XX Viljandi Folk Music Festival got a rocking logo.

Viljandi Folk Music Festival celebrates its 20th birthday next summer. The scholarship competition for choosing the logo for the jubilee festival ended recently and the winner is Helene Vetik from Tallinn.

Due to the fact that the 2012 festival is called "Man's Songs", Helene's logo carries the ancient masculine spirit. "Viljandi Folk Music Festival's "Man's Songs" logo combines symbols of masculinity from all over the world: moustache, Rolling Stones, zither, tongue, amplifier, earthly tones, handicraft, and last but not least - the place where man's songs are born - the mouth," describes Helene.

The winner receives a scholarship of 1000 euros. The runner up was a group called United Zoo aka Janno Saft and Ronald Baumann. All in all, 26 logos were submitted. XX Viljandi Folk Music Festival takes place on July 26-29.

All the submitted logos can be seen at our virtual exhibition.

Jubilee festival passes are available for purchase!

2011-12-01

Festival passes for Viljandi Folk Music Festival 2011 are available for purchase at Piletilevi starting from December 1.

The number of passes is limited and they are sold in three parts. The first 600 passes are sold with the price of 45 euros, the next 600 cost 54 euros and the last 600 are sold for 59 euros a piece. (PASSES CAN BE PURCHASED HERE!)

The jubilee festival which takes place in Viljandi city centre and Castle Hills is titled "Man's Song" which was chosen to draw people's attention to old songs which have been a matter of honour for the men and which inspire them and the women and children alike.

"By helping the contemporary man rediscover and diversify his role in traditional music, song and dance, we facilitate the development of the field and emphasise the aspect of it which have been forgotten," said the head of the largest and oldest folk music party in Estonia, Ando Kiviberg. "I am certain that it will once again be a cheerful and inspiring summer experience."

The Head of the Programme, Tarmo Noormaa, added that while choosing the foreign performers, they concentrated on the areas where the male side of the culture has been exceptionally strong. "However, we will not forget about our local inspiring performers like the followers of local singing traditions or kasatski dancers who are unique to Setomaa," explained Noormaa.

The audience’s favourites were rewarded with Ethno Ladles

2011-10-17

At the Folk Music Harvest fest on the evening of October 15, the Estonian ethno music awards were handed out. The band Zetod went home with half of the awards by receiving the best group, best album and best singer award for their creative endeavors during the last year.

Estonian traditional Music Center and Radio 2 presented the awards known as Ethno Ladles for the third time. The winners were chosen by popular vote organised by Radio 2 on their website. About a thousand people voted for their favourites.

The cream of the crop was skimmed off by the band Zetod who received the best album award for their album "Lätsi Sanna", which was released last year, in addition to the best group award. In addition that, the public decided that the head of Zetod, Jalmar Vabarna, deserves the title of "best singer".

In the field of instrumental music, the awards were given out to Paabel, RO:TORO and Sw(f)Est and Sandra Sillamaa who plays the bagpipe, Jew's harp, whistles and soprano saxophone.

The most loved song was voted to be the arrangement of the popular singing game "Kes Aias" by the group Vägilased who are no longer active in music since this summer. In addition to that, Vägilased received a special award for their contribution to traditional music from Estonian Traditional Music Center.

Mari Pokinen, whose debut album "22" was released last year, received the best original song singer award.

"MAN`S SONG"

2011-10-12

The theme of XX Viljandi Folk Music Festival, which takes place on July 26-29, 2012, is "MAN`S SONG".

It is said that women forgive and men forget. That is probably one of the reasons why women have played a more important role in passing songs on from one generation to another. Thus, traditions have always been tied to strong gender roles. This has created a passion which motivates people to search for the source of new life and preserve your own.

The contemporary world which worships hastiness and superficiality, forces rituals to the background and the fact that the physical force of men is no longer the most important aspect of the continuation of life has led to the homogenization of gender roles. In light of this, the next Viljandi Folk Music Festival tries to emphasise that we do still need the feminine touch and attitude but we also cannot do without the male point of view and their way of expressing emotions both in music and in our everyday life.

The next festival is titled "MAN`S SONG". We will emphasise male songs, which are the affair of honour for men and which motivate both themselves and women and children.

Even though men and women are equally eager to share their songs and perform on the stage, men are usually outnumbered by women on the dance floors and in the workshops. We are trying to instigate men to take charge - let us rediscover masculinity and see what we can do with it!

By letting the contemporary man rediscover and diversify his role in traditional music and dance, we facilitate the development in the field and emphasise aspects of it which have been forgotten.

While choosing our foreign performers, we concentrated on the areas where the male side of culture has been strong, like Corsica, Bretagne, Georgia, Tuva, Quebec and several others. In addition to that, we are not forgetting about our own local inspiring performers like the followers of local male singing traditions or kasatski dancers which are unique to Setomaa.

Male songs honour the man and make the eyes of the women sparkle! You can come and see for yourself at Viljandi next summer.

The festival passes with the best prices will be on sale at Piletilevi starting from the beginning of December.

Playroom for Children

2011-09-16

Starting from this autumn, Viljandi Traditional Music Center offers its guests the opportunity to leave their children to the playroom for the time of the concert.
The administrator of the Traditional Music Center, Silja Soo, says that the service is currently available only during the concerts which are organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center but the plan for the future is to provide the service during other events as well. The playroom opens an hour before the concert and closes half an hour after the concert. Leaving your child in the playroom costs 1 euro per child. All the children are welcome who like spending a few active hours without their parents. During the time when the mothers and fathers are enjoying the concert, students of Viljandi Culture Academy take care of their children. Under the watchful eye of the young playgroup teachers, the children can do art and craft, play board games and examine books. In addition to that, they play dance games together and sing and dance.
According to Soo, the playgroup teachers will try to take into consideration the character and wishes of the children as much as possible. "If there are many boys and girls together in the playroom and they get tired, we can pause to rest on the pillows. In other cases, silence might not be suitable at all and the playroom can become a shouting room for a while," she explains.
"Our aim is that the parents could concentrate on the concert and would not have to worry about their offspring. The children will have fun and they will be taken care of."
Viljandi Traditional Music Center opened its fourth season last Friday.

Additional information:
Silja Soo, administrator
silja.soo@folk.ee
434 2072

Dance House dusts off old dance moves

2011-09-15

The series of dance nights called Dance House, which started in the Traditional Music Center last spring, continues this September and invites everyone who wishes to feel good and dance to traditional music to frolic with us.
The new season of the series of Dance Houses which starts on September 23 resembles the dance club movement which started in Estonia already in the 1990s. They share a common goal to bring people back to old dances by teaching the most popular social dances from the end of XIX and the beginning of XX century like the waltz, polka, rheinländer, mazurka, flatfoot waltz and dances from other countries.
The novelty of the Dance House lies in how the evenings are structured because differently from other dance clubs, the process of learning and the party are separated. Those who wish to learn the dance steps can do so in the workshop which is held before the dance night.
In order to help people rediscover the magical sound and rhythm landscapes of solo music, the organisers have also chosen solo artists in addition to bands to play at the dance parties. Thus, the Dance House parties help to remind us that traditional music is closely related to dance and most of the instrumental music in the genre is dance music.
People can come to the dance nights together with their family or friends or why not even co-workers. Previous exposure to traditional dances is an advantage but it is definitely not a prerequisite for attending.
The tradition of dance houses (táncház) started in Hungary in the second half of the 1970s when people started to feel the need to preserve their traditional culture which was vanishing due to the communist pressure and the increasing popularity of stage dancing. In addition to Estonia, similar party nights are held in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and France.

Series of delightful ethno parties continues

2011-09-14

The series of Folkloob parties which searches for ethno beats starts its second season in September. The first Folkloob takes place on September 15 at the club Rubiin in Viljandi.
The idea which was put into action in the Viljandi town centre last year has been developed further. Young musicians who became folk DJs are now playing world music here, there and everywhere.
The subheading of the Folkloob in September is "The opening waltz". The party features performances by a surprise group ARGOVALSID (Jaan Jaago, Merike Paberits, Tõnu Tubli, Sänni Noormets) and juicy atmospheric music is played by the Seto rockers ZETOD (Jalmar Vabarna, Jaanus Viskar, Matis Leima, Martin Kütt, Artur Linnus, Rainer Koik). DJ JJ who is also known as Jaan Jaago (not the wrestler but the guitar player from the bands Gjangsta, Viljandi Guitar Trio and Viljandi GypsyJazz Collective) was lured to lead the dance rhythms from the DJ stand. DJ JJ is supported by ethno DJs DJ Mur and DJ Box.
Club Rubiin opens its doors at 21.00. The ticket costs 3€ during the first hour and 4€ after that.

New season of the Traditional Music Center opens with Polish punk and folk’n roll

2011-09-05

Viljandi Traditional Music Center welcomes its fourth season on September 9 with an evening which consists of three unique parts which both look back at the Folk Music Festival which was held in the summer and tune in to the forthcoming autumn and winter months. At 20:00, Reigo Ahven and Celia Roose join their forces on the stage of the Grand Hall as an introduction to the party. "The drum sounds, the number of which exceeded the number of leaves on the trees during Viljandi Folk Music Festival, have grown into songs by the beginning of the new season. Whether these are lullabies, women's swinging tunes or men's war songs - let that be a surprise," said Ahven. "Together with several other people, we want to weave our songs and rhythms into a fabric of good wishes into which the values which protect and inspire all the future performers can be wrapped."
The headliner of the evening is the Polish punk and folk'n roll band Roberto Delira & Kompany which has been compared to the legendary Swedish group Hedningarna which performed in Viljandi this summer.
The head of the band, Roberto Jarowski, is known in Poland as an initiator of different musical experiments. He became an active musician five years ago when he went to Norway to work as a builder and became fascinated by the buskers on the streets of Oslo. He quit his job, took the hurdy-gurdy he had brought from his homeland and started playing on the streets. Busking helped him earn some money and learn how to play the instrument. Even though Jarowski had briefly played in a few bands before that, his dreams started to come true after he returned home from Norway.
Having gotten to know the songs of Hedningarna, Jarowski thought that this kind of mystical and suggestive feel would work well with Polish traditional music. As a result, two projects were launched - Ich Trole and Zywiolak.
His third band, Roberto Delira & Kompany which performs in Viljandi on September 9, sounds more primal than his previous bands and the repertoire consists of not only Polish traditional music but also songs by Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Latvians. The cornerstone of the band's music is the bowed gusli which was built by Jaworski himself. It is an instrument which resembles both the small kannel and talharpa.
As a tribute to the slipper shuffling event which took place during the festival in the summer, the opening party of the season ends with a performance by the band Vennakese. Three brothers, Heiki Int (guitar), Asso Int (diatonic accordion) and Meelis Int (bass guitar), play and sing about the sea, land, love, youth, fatherland, etc to accompany dancing. A young accordion player Martin Müller is joining them on the stage.
The opening party of the season is supported by the Polish Embassy.

Õunaviks presents its complitation album “Toatuur 2”

2011-09-02

This autumn, the record label Õunaviks releases a compilation album "Toatuur 2" which introduces new Estonian original song writers and "bedroom musicians". The album release concert takes place in the Traditional Music Center on September 29 at 20:00. Everyone is welcome!
The first "Toatuur" album was released five years ago and it motivated many young authors to continue as musicians. One of the brightest examples was Mari Kalkun whose music career got a kickstart from this album and who has since then released two immensely popular original albums under the Õunaviks label.
To find, introduce and encourage new musicians - this is the main aim of releasing the "Toatuur" compilation album.
The new album features songs by Mari Pokinen, Silver Sepp, Eneli Siirman, Pastacas, Kago, Iduvigik, Arles Kangus and the soloartists known by the mysterious names of Keegi Kusagilt ("Someone from Somewhere) and Vares&Barbarus ("Crow&Barbarus"). In addition to that, the album also includes works by Martin Ellermaa, Riho Kalli and Spice Mose.
Furthermore, instrumental songs by renown musicians Juhan Vihterpal, Magnus Morel, Erkki Hüva, the Estonian solo artist Epifolium who now lives in Canada and the silent experimenter Martiini Teekann can also be heard on the album.
"Toatuur 2" also travels through time. Namely, a song by Sven Kreek from the year 1986 which has not been previously released is included on the album.

August Pulst School

2011-09-01

August Pulst School which spreads knowledge and improves skills related to traditional music starts its fifth season in September and invites people to register for their courses.
According to the Head of the school, Sofia Joons, the non-formal education centre under Estonian Traditional Music Center continues on the path it has taken during the last four years, concentrating on different target groups which range from families with children to advanced instrument players.
The descriptions of the courses and the registration forms are available here.
"I want to emphasise that our events are not only directed to people who know how to play an instrument. Everyone who feels that they do not want to remain in the audience, who wants to sing and play an instrument is welcome," says Joons. "The spirit of traditional music lies in immediate involvement and cooperation and we want as many people as possible to understand and enjoy this."
As dances, songs and games form a large part of traditional music, August Pulst School invites people to attend several courses which do not require anything else from the participants but a genuine interest in traditional music. For example, one of these courses introduces newer folk songs which use end-rhyme.
Those of you who already know how to play an instrument and have acquired a small repertoire are welcome to attend the diatonic accordion and violin courses. In addition to that, there are courses for learning the playing techniques of the Jew's harp and the guitar.
Family sessions where you can sing, dance and listen to different instruments are suitable for families with pre-school children. Students can improve their musical skills in the song and game sessions and in the zither lessons. The youngsters who are interested in university education can visit Young Musician's School which introduces the learning opportunities in the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy.
On every second Saturday of the month at 11:00, Annika Mändmaa and a traditional musician guest introduce traditional instruments, songs and games to children and their families in the cosy Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center.
In the beginning of the next summer, all the light-footed men have the change to discover the mystical world of men's traditional solo dancing with the help of Tarmo Noormaa, Juhan Suits, Silver Sepp and Gyurka R Fįbiįn. The school has also designed programmes for instrument teachers in music and hobby schools but also for teachers who work in kindergartens and general education schools. "In order to make traditional music part of our everyday lives, it is necessary to educate the teachers and motivate them to become brave enough to use traditional music in their lessons to illustrate what they are saying. It should not be considered strange if a physics teacher played the Jew's harp in one of his lessons to illustrate how a physical process takes place," says Joons.
August Pulst Schol is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and the European Social Fund.

Sofia Joons: naturalness pays off in traditional music

2011-05-18

Sofia Joons,
traditional musician and the Head of August Pulst School

The third national competition for instrument students which was held in the Traditional Music Center in Viljandi on May 6 delighted the jury with its diverse repertoire and the variety of different manners of playing displayed by the contestants.

There were slightly over 70 contestants but as some of them competed under more than one category, there were more than 80 performances given during the competition. The competition was carried out in the following instrument categories: violin, bagpipe, talharpa, zithers, bellows-driven instruments, traditional wind instruments and plucked instruments. In addition to these, the instruments which can be considered to be new from the point of view of traditional music, for example the recorder, formed a separate group, called the open-class category. The contestants were also divided into younger and older performers based on how long they had been playing the instrument.

The contest which is organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center has always been open for people from all around Estonia but this year's contest was the first where all the counties were represented. Due to the rules of the contest, this is not only a statistically interesting fact but it also influences the repertoire. Namely, every contestant had to play two traditional songs, one of which had to originate from the area from which the participant is from. Thus, those who listened to all the performers could say that today, they heard the whole of Estonia.

I was a member of the jury together with Neeme Punder, Maarja Nuut, Ando Kiviberg, Tarmo Noormaa and Aime Reier and I have to admit that it was extremely interesting to see and hear the results of the teaching which is carried out in music schools and by private tutors. The jury assessed both the technical skills and the creativity of the contestants. Differently from, for example, classical music, traditional music is organically linked to movement. Most traditional songs were born to accompany dancers. In a nutshell, the greatest challenge for the traditional musician is to fulfil the functions which in other music genres are divided between the melody and the accompanying instruments and drums. So what was the jury looking for? It was not about the complexity of the songs but how the songs were performed. We decided to award the contestants whose playing skills were as enchanting as their stage presence. We were looking for players whose performances are magical, natural and enthralling. During the competition, we and the audience were lucky enough to witness complete and natural performances which resembled miracles because some of the young musicians managed to make their fingers run over the buttons, holes or strings of their instrument so effortlessly and with such sparkle in their eyes that the instrument became a part of their body. One of the best examples of that was Toomas Ojasaar from Põlva who studies the Estonian diatonic accordion aka Teppo instrument under the guidance of Heino Tartes. The jury decided to award him with the first prize together with the invitation to perform at the forthcoming Viljandi Folk Music Festival. Thus, remember his name in case you plan to visit the festival in Viljandi in the end of July. His performances are pleasurable for both the ears and the eyes.

Becoming a musician is not easy. It takes time and effort but following the curriculum and improving the playing skills are only secondary to motivating your students and setting an example for those striving to be musicians.

An Irish proverb says that an instrument player has to study his instrument for seven years, develop his repertoire for another seven years and after that, travel around and play his songs for a further seven years. Only after all that, conclusions may be drawn about if there is something there or not.

Musical skills develop slowly. Estonian Traditional Music Center provides an opportunity to give an annual overview of the development of young musicians. Thus, the goal of the contest is not only to provide youngsters with an opportunity to compete but also to enable them to find out what their peers are doing and follow the leads of the best players. The audience can also listen to the contest and as there are no semi-finals, the youngsters and their teachers can also listen to the performances from players from the other instrument categories. This will hopefully introduce them to new songs and ways of playing from which to draw inspiration in the future.

During the first contest, it could be seen that the youngsters and their teachers did not know how to prepare for a traditional music solo performance but the situation has improved immensely during the last few years. The repertoire has become diverse and the performances differ from each other. Even though during the first year, it felt as if the youngsters were stolen from bands and made to perform alone and not as soloists, the situation has changed and this year, most of the youngsters sat or stood on the stage in a way that as if shouted "Hi! I am here! I will play you an incredible song! Just wait and see...!"

It is a pleasure to see that teaching and learning traditional music in Estonia is something that both the players and the teachers enjoy doing and that translates into the skills of the students. It has been an honour to be able to observe these positive changes and to support the students emotionally.

ETHNO Estonia places are filled

2011-04-26

The number of young people applying to attend the XV ETHNO Estonia camp at Viljandimaa on July 21-28 was again overwhelming and, thus, all the avalilable places were filled already by April 25. However, the organiser of the camp, August Pulst School, will keep writing down the names of those interested in attending in the event that someone cancels their booking.

Youngsters have always been interested in attending the camp, but during the last two years, they have been exceptionally quick to register. The Project Manager, Margit Kuhi, said that the organisers were used to closing the registration in early summer but last year, suprisingly, the list was full already by April. "This pattern repeated itself this year. It seems that taking part in ETHNO Estonia has become a valuable experience which most of the youngsters in Estonia who are interested in traditional music are hoping to gain. We are very glad because this assures us that we have been doing the right thing for the last 14 years."

Similarly to previous years, this year's camp takes place at Kõpu mansion which is situated 20 km from Viljandi. During the week, more than 60 musically talented 16-30-year-olds meet at the camp to improve their instrument playing skills and gain invaluable experiences. In the end of the camp, the youngsters get to perform together at Viljandi Folk Music Festival.

The tradition of holding ETHNO Estonia camps started in 1997 when two UT Viljandi Culture Academy traditional music students Krista Sildoja and Tuulikki Bartosik took part in the Falun ETHNO in Sweden. After that, they both wanted to start something similar in Estonia, The first Estonian study camp was organised under the name of Noorte Moosekantide Pillimängupäevad (Instrument Playing Days for Young Musicians) at Viljandi in July of the same year.

August Pulst School is a non-formal educational centre operating under Estonian Traditional Music Center which organises traditional music courses, workshops, study camps, concerts and individual instrument lessons.

Museum is collecting stories of swings

2011-04-25

Estonian Open Air Museum launches a new campaign "My Swing" for collecting photos and stories of self-made garden and indoor swings.

According to the coordinator of the project, Liina Kanemägi, swinging plays an important role during Easter, which is also known as the beginning of the swinging period, because swinging in late spring was believed to facilitate crop growth, improve the health of cattle and increase fertility among humans. During the summer, young people gathered around the village swings to communicate and get to know each other.

"The tradition of young people gathering near a swing was maintained in several parts of Estonia up until the beginning of 20th century. It never regained its popularity after World War I, but the love for the swing among Estonians has not diminished. Nowadays, families with children use swings to entertain their kids and adults also enjoy spending time on garden swings during warm summer nights. The village swing is a compulsory part of the contemporary celebration of Midsummer Day. Despite the wide variety of swings available at the stores, many people still prefer to build their own swings," said Kanemägi.

Your stories and photos of handmade swings should be sent to Estonian Open Air museum via post (keyword: MY SWING) or via their website http://fotod.evm.ee before May 31. An online exhibition will be compiled from the photos and it will be put up for everyone to see. The visitors of the webpage will be able to vote for their favourite swing. The stories and photos will be archived and preserved at the Estonian Open Air Museum. On Midsummer Night on June 23, prices will be awarded to those whose photos and stories were voted to be the best.

EMT becomes a major sponsor

2011-04-11

According to the agreement which was signed on April 11, the telecommunications company EMT became a major sponsor of this year's Viljandi Folk Music Festival.
It has become a tradition among thousands of music lovers across Estonia and from abroad to meet up at the annual Viljandi Folk Music Festival organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center. According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors for EMT, Valdo Kalm, Viljandi Folk Music Festival and the company he is running share a way of thinking. "Viljandi Folk Music Festival is a deeply Estonian cultural event which also is also international in its essence. EMT is a telecommunications provider run by Estonians which supports education, sport and culture which are all important to people. We are trying to improve the quality of life by advancing the information society and raising environmental awareness," he explained. "Our aim in cooperation with Viljandi Folk Music Festival is to improve the quality of life for our clients through unique musical experiences."
The Head of the festival and the Head of Estonian Traditional Music Center, Ando Kiviberg, said that Viljandi Folk Music Festival has, for a long time now, hoped for a strong telecommunications company to become their partner with whom to find innovative ways to promote our musical heritage. "EMT is exactly the company we have been looking for - innovative, wide-spread and Estonian," said Kiviberg.
The performers of the XIX Viljandi Folk Music Festival taking place on July 28-31 were announced in the beginning of April. In addition to the festival passes, day passes are also available now at Piletilevi and all EMT Topeltpluss clients are entitled to a 25% reduction off these.
Similarly to the previous years, the programme of this year's festival includes more than 70 concerts by Estonian and foreign musicians plus performances on the Green stage and the dance floor. In addition to all that, the guests are also welcome to the county concerts, workshops, night university sessions, runo song nest, fairytale chamber, instrument fair, handicraft yard and to the film sessions.
For example, the world-famous percussion guru Trilok Gurtu from Kashmir, Hedningarna who has been named the pioneer of Swedish traditional music and Cissokho System whose music is full of Senegalese colours will visit the Viljandi Castle Hills and the town centre during the festival the theme of which is "Rhythm and Pulse". As always, the best of Estonian traditional music will also be showcased including Zetod, RO:TORO, Vägilased, Kukerpillid, Nikns Suns, Rütmiallikas and Untsakad.
In addition to EMT, A Le Coq, LHV Bank and Premia are also major sponsors of Viljandi Folk Music Festival.

The Flanders Ethno Camp

2011-03-31

August Pulst School is financing Kadi-Ingrid Lilles, Triin Puusaar and Anett Seer to attend this year's Flanders Ethno camp.

Similarly to the previous years, August Pulst School which is a non-formal educational centre operating under Estonian Traditional Music Center is sending three youngsters aged 18-25 to Flanders Ethno camp which takes place on August 1-8 at Oostende in Belgium.

August Pulst School asked youngsters aged 18-25 who have previously taken part in some Estonian traditional music camps and can play at least one instrument on a satisfactory level to apply. All in all, nine people applied for the grant.

Additional information: www.flandersethno.be

Folkloob Mixes Folk Music and Club Scene

2011-03-31

Jalmar Vabarna, who is known from different folk groups, launches a new series of events called Folkloob on March 24 in Viljandi in order to build a bridge between folk music and the club scene.

The opening party of the series of events is held at the club Rubiin where the bands Gjangsta and Knihv are performing. The performances of the bands are followed by an ethno disco where Kulno Malva (Svjata Vatra) and Merike Paberits (Nikns Suns) are the DJs. The doors open at 22.00.

Jalmar Vabarna said that he got the idea for the series of events starting in March from Martin Oja aka DJ Daysleeper who organises the event Maailmamustrid ("Patterns of the World") in Tartu. "In order to make the party perfect, the club Rubiin will be filled with both live performances and ethno beats from around the world," promised Vabarna.

"Gjangsta and Knihv play both Estonian traditional violin music and their own songs, the former on string instruments and the latter on violins and drums," said Vabarna about the first two bands who will take the stage during the first event. "It might seem that the first event favours softer music but there will be two DJs who will add proper ethno beats to it. Our plan is to invite DJs who have something in common musically."

"Folkloob is meant to build a bridge between folk music and the club scene," claimed Vabarna. "If Gjangsta plays folk waltzes, it does not mean that you have to dance folk waltzes. We will add as much life and excitement to it as possible, so that the party gets out of hand!"

Dance-oriented Folkloob is not only meant for devoted folk music fans but also for admirers of modern dance music. "Some of the Dubstep fans might not even know what kind of awesome ethno beats are out there," said Vabarna.

The second Folkloob takes place on April 21 and will delight the eyes and ears of the audience with an unexpected cooperation between musicians. Namely, Zetod will take the stage together with Orelipoiss and Contra who is known mainly for his poetry. The first single from this collaboration can be expected soon. The weaver of the patterns of the world, DJ Daysleeper (Martin Oja) will be taking charge of the DJ decks.

Festival promises engaging rhythms

2011-03-07

Estonian Traditional Music Center announced most of the performers of the next Viljandi Folk Music Festival.

Similarly to the previous years, the programme of the festival taking place on July 28-31 includes more than 70 concerts plus tens of performances on the Green Stage and on the dance floor. In addition to that, everyone is invited to attend the county concerts, workshops, night university, runo song nest, fairytale chamber, instrument fair, handicraft yard and film sessions.

The exact programme will be revealed in April when Piletilevi starts selling day passes and single concert tickets in addition to the passes which can already be purchased.

The Head of the Programme, Tarmo Noormaa, reminded everyone that the organisers of Viljandi Folk Music Festival do not usually label any of the performers as the headliners of the festival. "Throughout the years, our audiences have proven to be very professional and curious and that is why we want the guests to have a lot of freedom in their choices. However, one thing is certain - many exotic and engaging rhythms will be heard," he said.

Among the internationally well-known performers, the Head of the Programme brought out Trilok Gurtu, a percussion player and composer from Kashmir. He was one of the first Indian musicians who managed to break into the West with his ability to mix the music from his homeland with jazz and fusion. The solo performances of Trilok Gurtu are famous for being spectacular and inspiring and widening the audience's concept of drum playing and the world of rhythm as such.

In addition to that, summery Viljandi will also host the Swedish traditional music pioneer and legend Hedningarna who was the first in the world to mix Scandinavian traditional music with rock and electronic and acoustic instruments. Hedningarna has brought traditional music into the clubs and stadium stages and has appeared in different pop music charts. "Their modern sound language has inspired many other musicians," added Tarmo Noormaa.

The last time Hedningarna performed in Estonia was in 1997 and their fan base in Estonia has been growing ever since.

In addition to the performers mentioned already, performers of the festival include Snaarmaarwaar from Belgium, Saeid Shanbehzadeh from Iran, Chvenebureb from Georgia, Oreka Tx from the Basque County, Reveillons from Quebec, Cissokho System from Senegal, Auli from Latvia and Sergei Starostin's family band from Russia.

Estonian bands Abrahams Café, Legshaker, Nikns Suns, Triskele, VEM, Vägilased, Untsakad, RO:TORO, Zetod, Paabel, Knihv, Kukerpillid and several others will also give a concert.

Viljandi Folk Music Festival is organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center and the XIX festival carries the title "Rhythm and Pulse!".

Gala reaches Euopean radio audiences

2011-02-28

The traditional music gala concert which was recorded a month ago in the Traditonal Music Center was broadcast on Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) Klassikaraadio on Estonian Independence Day, February 24. European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Euroradio will air the concert soon on the radio in different European countries. The concert on January 21 which is also known as the Traditional Music Winter Gala saw the performances of many talented contemporary traditional musicians without whom our traditional music scene would not be as diverse as it is today. It included performances by Meelika Hainsoo, Cätlin Jaago, Tuule Kann, Karoliina Kreintaal, Sofia Joons, Tarmo Noormaa, Maarja Nuut, Sandra Sillamaa, Juhan Suits, Tõnu Tubli, Lauri Õunapuu, Jalmar Vabarna ja Ando Kiviberg and the bands RO:TORO and Gjangsta. The host was Jaak Johanson.
Radio stations from Poland, Portugal, Croatia, Latvia, Sweden and Moldova have ordered the recording of the Winter Gala through EBU. The editor of Klassikaraadio Karin Kopra said that the number will definitely increase during this year.

Musician and Storyteller Go on Tour

2011-01-26

The concert "With Words and Fingers" which took place at the Traditional Music Center in Viljandi on January 14 received a warm reception from the audience and is going to tour Estonia in February. They will hold six concerts filled with sincere traditional music and enchanting stories.

Cätlin Jaago who is a remarkable young traditional musician is presenting her new solo album "Soolo" ("Solo") at the tour and is also introducing the Jew's harp collection which will be released soon. The famous storyteller Piret Päär is telling both true and folk stories where the protagonist is an instrument player.

The concerts are held in the Sangaste Community Centre on February 4, in the Haanja Community Centre on February 6, in the Tallinn Old Town Music House on February 9, in the Guild House of St. Mary Magdalene in Pärnu on February 10, in the Rapla Cultural Centre on February 18 and in the Oru Village Centre at Harjumaa on February 25.

Cätlin Jaago is behind the release of the collection titled "Estonian Jew's Harp" which provides a substantial overview of the history, players and songs of the Estonian Jew's harp illustrated by photos and sound material and accompanied by a music book and an instruction of how to play.

According to the author, the aim of compiling this collection was to make people aware of the fact that the Jew's harp is an intricate solo instrument which can be used to play melodies and which was used to play dance music similarly to other instruments which date from the same period. "The Jew's harp is sometimes considered to be a joke instrument but that is not the case. People used to hold huge dance parties where the only accompanying instrument was the Jew's harp," explained Cätlin Jaago.

Cätlin Jaago from Raplamaa plays both solo and in different bands (Vägilased, RO:TORO, Udupasun, Elletuse). Her wide repertoire also includes songs from the older layers of folk music and her favourites are songs for the Jew's harp and bagpipe.

The cooperation between Piret Päär and Cätlin Jaago started already in 1999 when they started organising storytelling evenings where music and stories supported each other to form vivid memories in the heads of their listeners.

Gala Brings the Best Performers to the Stage

2011-01-17

Estonian Traditional Music Center invites all traditional music friends to a large overview concert in Viljandi on January 21 at 19.00 where several radiant and talented traditional musicians of today will take the stage.
The artistic director of the traditional music winter gala Ando Kiviberg said that the audience will have the chance to see and listen to around ten solo artists and two bands. According to him, there are several good and very good artists among the young and middle generation traditional musicians and the performers for the gala were chosen from among them.
"They are dedicated people without whose passion Estonian traditional music wouldn't be half of what it is today. They are worth watching and listening to regardless of whether the venue is a summery open-air stage or a concert hall which protects you from the wintery cold," said Kiviberg.
The performers are Meelika Hainsoo, Cätlin Jaago, Tuule Kann, Karoliina Kreintaal, Tarmo Noormaa, Maarja Nuut, Sandra Sillamaa, Juhan Suits, Tõnu Tubli, Lauri Õunapuu, Jalmar Vabarna, Ando Kiviberg and the bands RO:TORO and Gjangsta. The director of the gala is the actor and the artistic director at Ugala Theatre Indrek Sammul. The host of the evening is the keeper of traditional culture Jaak Johanson.
Kiviberg was happy to announce that ERR (Estonian Public Broadcasting) Klassikaraadio has decided to record the gala concert and the recording will be offered to the broadcasters who are members of the European Broadcasting Union. "Our main goal is to introduce Estonian traditional music both home and abroad and what could be better for achieving that goal than our concert being delivered straight to the homes of European music lovers."
Estonian Traditional Music Center organises traditional music events throughout the year in the Traditional Music Center and in other venues around Estonia. The largest traditional event organised by the centre is Viljandi Folk Music Festival which brings together thousands of people. This year's festival carries the theme "Rhythm and Pulse" and it will be held on July 28-31.

Moisekatsi Elohelü Invites Musicians

2011-01-17

The folk music arrangements festival Moisekatsi Elohelü is taking place on April 23-24, 2011, in the new Mooste Folk Chamber .

The folk music arrangements festival is open to both professional and amateur musicians because the aim of it is to resurrect and value Estonian traditional music. During the competition concert, the performers are judged based on their musical way of thinking, vocal and instrumental skills and the ability to arrange music in a way which preserves the bond between the old and the new.

The theme of the festival is Easter and the compulsory song for this year is the Hällülaul aka Kiigelaul from Kanepi. The lyrics and the melody are available on the festival website at http://folkfest.polvamaa.ee.

The first prize is 1000 euros. In addition to that, special prizes will be given out to a student group and to the best arrangement of the compulsory song.

The participants of the competition have to register themselves before January 17 by filling in the form on the website or contacting the artistic director Ülle Podekrat whose number is 508 7825.

14 groups will be able to compete at the festival. Last year, so many people were interested in participating that not all of them could fit into the concert programme. The first prize went to the band Krüüsel from Paldiski.

Mooste Folk Chamber is one of the largest concert venues with stationary sound and light equipment in South-East Estonia. The festival is organized by NGO Folgisellide Selts and Mooste Municipality Government.

Additional information:
Ülle Podekrat
+372 508 7825
yllepodekrat@hot.ee

New Year’s reception

2011-01-05

On the first working day of the year 2011, the mayor of Viljandi and the chairman of the city council invited a number of people to attend a reception at the Traditional Music Center, reports the county paper Sakala.

The mayor Kalle Jents remembered the last year when the city lost millions from its budget and made some hard decisions in order to cope with the most important tasks in hand. "Fortunately, nothing important was cancelled," said the mayor in front of the audience. He thanked the workers and the entrepreneurs who have invested in the development of the town.

The chairman of the city council Tarmo Loodus contemplated on the topic "We, our children and our relationships" and was worried that there will be no one to enjoy what we are building and creating when there are so few children born.

At the same time, a collection of photos was shown on the wall which included pictures from last year's Hanseatic Days, Folk Music Festival, Early Music festival and other events. The reception was hosted by Rannar Raba who is the head of public relations at Estonian Traditional Music Center. Folk musician and dancer Silver Sepp helped to keep the cosy atmosphere by showing that music can also be made with plastic vessels and bicycle spokes.

Actor introduces “mouth plane”

2011-01-05

Estonian Traditional Music Center and Viljandi senior citizens organisations invite everyone to attend the next daily-concert meeting on Thursday January 13 at the Traditional Music Center. The guest is the actor and devoted harmonica player Felix Kark.

In 1821, German instrument maker Friedrich Buschmann who had just turned 16 made an instrument the structure and the principle for creating sound of which form the basis of the contemporary harmonica. The harmonica is nowadays one of the most widely produced musical instruments in the world and has, due to that, acquired a number of nicknames. For example, in Bavaria they call it "Fotzenhobel" which means "mouth plane" (like the tool).

Even though Felix Kark has been working at Pärnu Endla theatre since 1986, he has put a lot of effort into developing the harmonica club Piccolo together with which he has been organising an international harmonica festival which is becoming ever more popular every year.

Piccolo is the first of its kind in Estonia and because of that, Felix Kark together with his friends Ilmar Tõnisson and Jüri Vaikjärv can consider themselves the fathers of Estonian harmonica culture. "I plan to play the harmonica as long as I can breathe," said Kark a few years ago. In order to practice what he preaches, he promised to take his harmonica with him when he comes to Viljandi.

In addition to talking about music, Kark will also shed light into his life and his acting carreer which started already in 1965. "To be perfectly honest, I do not consider acting as work because acting for me is, first and foremost, a creative endeavour. The person whose hobbies and work collide can be considered to be the happiest person in the world. If that does not apply to people who work in the theatre, they tend to either leave the theatre or start drinking. It is very important for actors that they don't consider their job as mere work but enjoy what they are doing and realise how you can express yourself through your work."

The host of the daily concert-meeting is the head of public relations at Estonian Traditional Music Center Rannar Raba.

Felt carpets brighten up the new year

2011-01-05

Colourful felt carpets will be available for admiring during January in the foyer and Glass Hall of the Traditional Music Center.

The exhibition "Enchanted by Wool" consists of around ten carpets by Koidu Laur which are made from felting wool and preyarn. She used wet felting and drypoint needle techniques on these carpets. The pictures on the carpets are embellished with pearls, sequins, paper and different other materials.

A small part of the exhibition consists of monochrome carpets which have been made using the novel technique of cutting handmade felt. This technique has been used by Estonian carpet makers for only a very short period of time. "Thus, it can be said that some of the carpets in the Traditional Music Center are the outcomes of first attempts", explained Koidu Laur.

All the carpets were made in 2010 and they have several cheerful thoughts, wishes and dreams felted into them. In addition to that, the author hid some hints and allegories into her works.

Koidu Laur was born in Setomaa near Pechory. She went to school in Viluste, Räpina and Tartu. The artist received a degree in chemistry at the University of Tartu and has worked as a teacher, paper material conservator and as a civil servant who organises the preservation of archival materials.

Koidu has been doing handicraft all her life. She has taken part in several visual art distance learning courses and has studied at the Konrad Mäe painting studio for the last three years. Her love for felting started a few years ago but her first works appeared in front of the public only last autumn.

"There is power in wool and it provides wonderful opportunities which are highly addictive. I hope that my pictures talk to people and offer both aesthetic pleasure and simple joy and motivate people to pursue different creative endeavours," said Laur.

2011 festival passes available for purchase

2010-12-03

Festival passes for Viljandi Folk Music Festival 2011 are available for purchase starting from December 1. During previous year, the passes were sold on the festival website, but this year, the passes are available on Piletilevi website and sales outlets.

The number of passes is limited. The price of the first 600 passes is 705 kroons (45 euros). The next 800 are sold with the price of 814 kroons (52 euros). And after all of those have been sold, the last 600 will be sold with the price of 924 kroons (59 euros). The prices of family passes start with 2112 kroons (135 euros) for the first group, 2441 kroons (156 euros) for the second and 2770 kroons (177 euros) for the last group of passes.

The head of the festival Ando Kiviberg assured everyone that XIX Viljandi Folk Music Festival, which takes place on July 28-32, will fill the town centre and the Castle Hills with merry and bubbling masses just as it has happened during the previous festivals.

This year, the organisers have decided to concentrate on rhythm. "Estonian traditional music has been prevalently melody-centred and that is the reason why we hope that the title "Rhythm and Pulse" will inspire the musicians to look for rhythms on their instruments which, in turn, will inspire the listeners and dancers. I truly believe that the festival will once again unite everyone who is young at heart and able to concentrate and fall in love," said Kiviberg.

The head of the programme Tarmo Noormaa explained that the foreign performers were mainly chosen from the areas in Europe and elsewhere where the rhythm instruments have traditionally played an important part in music. "For example, we hope to see bands from the Basque Country and Galicia, Quebec, Russia and from the so called "third world countries"."

The pass guarantees entry to all the outdoor concerts and the nightclub during the festival. In addition to that, the pass includes free admission to the concerts which take place in the Traditional Music Center and St John's Church and there are concessions available on tickets for the other indoor concerts for the pass owners. Children who are 12 years old or younger do not need a ticket.

BUY HERE!

Indrek Kalda 50

2010-12-02

A masterful instrument player, a singer with a unique voice and a demanding teacher Indrek Kalda is turning 50 in the beginning of December.

On this occasion, he is inviting all his best friend and fans to join him in the Traditional Music Center on December 9 to enjoy his jubilee concert "Shared Love".

The Traditional Music Center producer Janne Suits says that Indrek Kalda has helped to raise several generations of violinists as a lecturer at UT Viljandi Culture Academy and will be doing that for the years to come. Thus, his contribution to Estonian traditional music and music in general has been significant. "In addition to that, he has also been a prolific musician and has played in several bands such as Kukerpillid, Justament, Lindpriid, Sannalised and several others."

On December 9, Indrek Kalda will share the stage of the Grand Hall of the Traditional Music Center with Celia Roose, Toomas Lunge, Jaan Sööt, Tiit Kikas, Sven Kullerkupp, Kait Tamra, Jaak Tuksam, Andres Kuut and several other talented musicians. They will play songs from the repertoire of Lindpriid, Jäääär, Justament and Sannalised in addition to the songs chosen especially for celebrating the occasion.

OurCulture concert-meeting from last September where the guest was Indrek Kalda is available here for watching and listening.

Estonian Traditional Music Center concentrates on Setos

2010-11-17

The forthcoming two weekends at the Traditional Music Center will be devoted to the Seto culture.
This Friday a large kirmask (village party) is held and during the weekend after that August Pulst School organises a course which concentrates on the regional heritage of Setomaa.
During the kirmask, the power of song will be demonstrated by the Värska women's leelo choir and the male choir Liinatsuraq and the band Klapp will be responsible for providing dance music. In addition to all that, the audience will have a chance to participate in the Seto song-games and learn traditional Seto dances.
The producer of the Traditional Music Center Janne Suits said that authentic traditional culture in Estonia has consistently been alive in only a few areas and Setomaa is the most remarkable of these. According to her, the people from Setomaa feel their roots and want to show them to others too. Because of this, it is important to devote attention to these topics.
Suits hopes that the unique sound and colourful clothing of the Setos will be a breath of fresh air in our grey November weather. "Kirmask which is based on traditional music is part of their everyday life in Setomaa, now we want to communicate the same message in Viljandi."
On November 26 and 27, more than 20 participants are welcome to attend the course "Regional Heritage" which is organised by August Pulst School, during which Õie and Maarja Sarv will share their knowledge about Setomaa. The course delves into the fairly closed world of Seto culture and gives the participants a chance to experience their special spirituality first hand. The emphasis is on singing, playing and dancing together.

"Rhythm and Pulse"

2010-11-01

The theme of XIX Viljandi Folk Music Festival which takes place on July 28-31 is "Rhythm and Pulse" through which the organisers hope to create a bond stronger than ever before between the performers and the audiences.

The head of the programme Tarmo Noormaa said that the focus this year is on rhythm. "It doesn't matter how the rhythms are created, on a melodic instrument, through singing, dancing or on a drum. It is important to find the rhythms on the instruments and inspire the listeners and dancers. Estonian traditional music has been mainly melody-centred, rhythm instruments have not traditionally been that popular in Estonia. Thus, Estonians have a remarkable skill of creating patterns of rhythm on melodic instruments and through song. These skills are worth preserving and developing," he explained.

In addition to that, Noormaa said that the organisers of the festival have decided to draw attention to the foreign origin rhythm instruments like djembe, cajon and daburka which are becoming increasingly popular in Estonia. "Let's see if we can play our own songs like labajalg, kargus, polka and waltz on these instruments without losing the focus on the melodic instruments which is characteristic to us."

The head of the festival Ando Kiviberg explained that while choosing the topic, the organising team of the festival decided to keep going in the direction which was taken last year. During the last festival, people were encouraged to move their feet and become friends with traditional dancing and improvise on the dance floor while trying to establish a dialogue with the instrument player. This year, the emphasis is on playing and singing for dancing purposes which is the essence of traditional music.

According to Kiviberg, traditional music is viable as the musical national tongue only if it lives and develops naturally meaning inside and around people. "It is natural that musicians in a band feel the pulse in a similar way because otherwise it would not be possible for them to play together. In order to make everyone feel good on the dance floor, it is important that the sense of pulse is shared between the musician and the dancer too."

The demo round for finding performers for the festival and the competition for the design of the logo open on October 12. Additional information is available on the festival website.

Festival passes will be available with reduced prices starting from the beginning of December.

Similarly to the previous years, the main programme of XIX Viljandi Folk Music Festival will include around 70 concerts plus numerous dance performances on the Green Stage and on the street corners. In addition to the concerts, all the visitors are welcome to attend workshops, exhibitions and PÖFF (Black Nights Film Festival) movie sessions.

New tapestry decorates the Grand Hall

2010-11-01

The new tapestry which is the result of a lot of work carries several messages but is at the same time beautiful to look at.

The new tapestry which was recently put on the wall of the Grand Hall of the Traditional Music Center looks striking from afar but there a many interesting details which might be left unnoticed when looking at it from a distance.

For example, the fabric has photos of both former and current folk musicians printed on it. "That was our plan all along," assured the artist Kersti Rattus who was the initiator of the project. "This hall is often showed on television, thus, the mural provides a nice background but it also offers the possibility to zoom in to the details of the mural."

More than ten people worked on the mural for longer than six months. The initial plan was to finish the mural before the Folk Music Festival in the summer, but the project turned put to be more time-consuming than the artists realised. Thus, the visitors of this year's Harvest Festival were the first ones who had the chance to see the mural on the wall.

The tapestry is made of woollen, linen and cotton and was woven and stitched on looms. The team involved in making the tapestry consists of mostly the same people who are in charge of the designs for the Folk Music Festival but the students from the Department of Native Crafts from the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy also lend a helping hand.

"It is amazing how much work remarkable people can do!" praised Kersti Rattus who started designing the tapestry already in spring. "One could say that in the present day and age they might even be considered to be too determined. They were more than happy to help."

Every part of the three-part artwork depicts a different symbol. "The growing takes place in the lower bit where the musicians and instruments are depicted," described Kersti Rattus. "The middle part shows flourishing and here the supporters and the traditional Music Center are in the centre. The ornaments at the top symbolise rotation, power and the Sun."

There are also diamond shapes, elements symbolising birth and the Milky Way depicted at the top. "Traditional songs speak to people in a simple and figurative language, they don't force themselves on their listeners," said the artist. "The same applies to the tapestry. It emits positivity and draws a parallel with traditional music through the ornaments used on it."

The head of Estonian Traditional Music Center Ando Kiviberg is very happy with the result. "The tapestry is full of interesting small details," he said.

The previous colourful tapestry which was embellished with CDs had to be taken down due to safety reasons because it blocked the smoke shutters.

Margus Haav,
Sakala

Library received recognition

2010-11-01

Estonian Librarians Association honoured Estonian Traditional Music Center with the title Deed of the Year 2010 for founding the Traditional Music Center Library.

The Traditional Music Center Library was opened in the basement of the Traditional Music Center in the spring of 2009. They have managed to file an impressive amount of traditional music sources and provide access to several electronic sound and video databases. "The library creates a creative atmosphere for making and researching traditional music," the declaration of the librarians' association says.

Sofia Joons who received the prize on October 22 as the representative of Estonian Traditional Music Center said that such a great recognition came as a surprise and advised everyone to come and realise their ideas in the library.

Young Guitar Player Award

2010-10-06

The winner of the Tiit Paulus' Young Guitar Player Award and grant was Laur Joamets.

At the Viljandi Guitar Festival which was held during Spetember 21-25, the winner of the Tiit Paulus' Young Guitar Player Award was announced and the winner was Laur Joamets.

Laur Joamets started playing the guitar when he was 9 and he has been taught by his father, guitar player Andres Joamets and Peeter Prints, Ain Agan, Oleg Pissarenko and Ain Varts.

Laur Joamets has played in the backup band for the "Estonia Is Looking for a Superstar" show and collaborated with several pop-artists like Ott Lepland, Luisa Värk, Jana Kask, etc. In addition to that, he is the founding member of the band Dramamama.

The aim of this year's Viljandi Guitar festival was to improve improvisational and pan-stylistic guitar play. Several virtuosos of improvisational guitar play from home and abroad performed during the week. Among other performers, the audiences could enjoy Ulf Wakenius from Sweden together with Estonian Dream Big Band conducted by Örjan Fahlström.

The renowned virtuosos had to share their spotlight with the young guitar players from Estonia, Lithuania and Finland who took part in different workshops during the week and presented theirs skills at concerts and jam-sessions.

The concerts took place in the Traditional Music Center, St John's church and the puppet theatre.

Daily concert-meetings are back

2010-10-06

The daily concert-meetings which started in January and are organized in cooperation between Estonian Traditional Music Center and Viljandi senior citizen's organizations continue in October with Katrin Karisma as the guest.

Rannar Raba, who is the Head of Public Relations at Estonian Traditional Music Center and the host of the concert-meetings, said that the cooperation with the Viljandi Senior Citizen's Union and Viljandi Senior Citizen's Association during the last season was successful and their collaboration will continue for the months to come. At the same time, he emphasized that the meetings were not meant only for retired people and music friends of all ages are welcome.

"We believed that there is a demand for daily concert-meetings and we were proven to have been right. We saw hundreds of wise people in the Traditional Music Center who are sharp-witted and active consumers of culture but who do not want to attend events which start late in the evening. Thus, afternoon events fit perfectly into their schedules," said Raba.

The first concert-meeting of the season will be held on October 7 at 13.00 and the guest will be the beloved singer and actress Katrin Karisma whose role as Pippi Longstocking has become a legend. In November, the instrument-maker, teacher and the master of Torupillitalu (Bagpipe Farm) Ants Taul will take the stage together with his daughter Anu Taul who is a musician.

According to Rannar Raba, they will try to keep to the tradition of half of the performers being traditional musicians and the other half representing some other music genres. "Regardless of where the centre of attention is positioned in the works of the guest, I will try to find out where he or she comes from and what is his or her relationship with traditional music. Our experience so far shows that people are influenced and connected to traditional music in different interesting and surprising ways." The guests of the daily concert-meetings during the previous season were Ivo Linna, Antti Kammiste, Indrek Kalda, Tarmo Noormaa, Heino Tartes, Voldemar Kuslap and Ike Volkov.

Photo exhibition celebrates the bond between generations

2010-10-06

During October 5-22, the foyer of the Viljandi Traditional Music Center will hold the photo exhibition "Üle ühe põlve" (meaning roughly "Grandparents and Grandchildren") which offers a selection of photos printed on fabric and taken by Merli Antsmaa and her grandfather Kalju Mihkelson.

Merli Antsmaa, who is the compiler and designer of the exhibition, says that she has never met her grandfather Kalju because he left this world in 1976, ten years before she was born. "My grandfather was a village photographer at Pärnumaa. Some time ago, I came into the possession of some of his photos and I noticed that there are similarities between his and my own photos. I can now say that photography has helped me to connect with my deceased grandfather. Young people should learn more from their ancestors and value them more - memories are a very valuable asset," she says.

Merli Antsmaa, who was born in 1986, has been actively taking photos since 2006. During her studies at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, she has captured on photographs several of the exam projects of different dancers, actors and musicians not to mention numerous cultural events in Viljandi.

Kalju Mihkelson (1931-1976) worked as a village photographer near Häädemeeste, Pärnumaa. His photos show people from the village in different settings (parties, funerals, family events, etc). He also took a lot of portraits. The photos which can be seen in the Traditional Music Center date back to 1950s and 1960s.

After Viljandi, the exhibition will travel to Tartu, Tallinn and Rakvere.

Alexey Arkhipovskiy Back in Estonia

2010-09-16

Balalaika virtuoso Alexei Arkhipovskiy whose concerts at the 2009 Folk Music Festival and in the Tallinn Russian Theatre in February proved to be very popular, has been invited by the Estonian Traditional Music Center to give a concert in Tallinn, Tartu and Viljandi.
The Head of the Estonian Traditional Music Center Ando Kiviberg explained that Arkhipovskiy's visit to Estonia was organised as a part of the traditional music Harvest Festival which takes place on October 1 and 2. This year, the audience of the Harvest Festival will be more international than ever before because the delegates of the European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals are holding their annual meeting in Viljandi at the same time. "We want to introduce them to not only to the best of our own traditional music but also to some good musicians from our neighbouring countries. In order to make the long trip from Moscow worthwhile, we decided to seize the opportunity and organise concerts in Tallinn and Tartu in addition to Viljandi," he said.
Arkhipovskiy who is one of Russia's most famous balalaika virtuosos gives a concert in the Tallinn Russian Cultural Centre on September 30 and in the Athena Centre in Tartu on October 1. The concerts start at 19.00.
His concert in Viljandi will take place in the evening of October 2 as a part of the Harvest Festival.
Kiviberg is convinced that Arkhipovskiy's name is known to many Estonians who have not yet had the chance to see him on stage. "I am very pleased that he agreed to perform at the Independence Day concert at Vanemuine Theatre in February. After that, only good words were said about him."
Arkhipovskiy is a remarkable instrument player who with his nimble fingers, three-stringed instrument and a little help from electronic equipment is able to create the illusion that the whole orchestra is performing. His performances are filled with passion, devotion and art which has been characterised by several of his fans as representing the genuine Russian soul.

Center Begins the New Season

2010-09-01

The opening party of the third season of the Traditional Music Center offers both lyrical songs and rhythmic dance music.
The party which takes place on Friday, September 10 starts with the performance of one of Estonia's most charismatic traditional musicans Mari Kalkun who, with her friends Triin Norman, Silver Sepp, Siim Soop, and Karoliina Kreintaal, will play songs from her second album which will be released in September. The second half of the concert will consist of music from the band Lindpriid who are famous for their war songs . As usual, the Traditional Music Center does not just provide a concert when celebrating important landmarks such as the beginning of a season but also offers a chance for the audience to dance too. For this reason, there will be a performance by energetic youngsters Jalmar Vabarna, Maarja Nuut, Karoliina Kreintaal, Eeva Lindal and several others.
According to the producer of the Traditonal Music Center, Janne Suits, the aim while organising the launch party of the season was to offer performances by both young and fresh and renowned musicians. "Mari Kalkun is without any doubt an outstanding young singer whose timbre cannot be confused with anyone else's. The same can be said about Jaan Sööt, Toomas Lunge and Inderk Kalda who form the band Lindpriid. Their songs are meaningful and appropriate for embracing the beginning of the dark winter period," said Suits. During this season, the Traditional Music Center will organise tens of single concerts in addition to several series of events, which are already known to the friends of traditional music. For example, Annika Mändmaa will continue organising family mornings which are aimed at families with children but, for the first time, the smell of pancakes cooked on site will be added. OurCulture Academy which is organised in cooperation with Viljandi Culture Academy will concentrate on the topic of "BODY" during the next few months as a continuation of the theme from this year's folk festival which focused on dance. The daily concert-meetings organised in conjunction with the senior citizen's organisations will also continue. The guest for October will be Katrin Karismaa.
The traditional two-day Harvest Festival will take place during the first days of October. The audience of this festival will probably be more international than usual because the delegates of the European World Music Festival Forum will gather in Viljandi at the same time.
The Traditional Music Center was opened in the spring of 2008 in the Viljandi Castle Hills. Starting from this autumn, the center will have seasonal sponsors: A Le Coq Ltd. and LHV Bank.

August Pulst School

2010-08-30

During this year's autumn season, the non-formal educational centre August Pulst School offers more than 20 courses for everyone who is interested in polishing their instrument playing skills or getting to know the traditional songs and dances from different parts of Estonia.
Sofia Joons who is the head of the school said that it is very hard to say when a new season in a non-formal educational centre ends and another one begins because courses are also held during the summer months. "For example, we held a talharpa course on Vormsi Island on August 20-22 and music school teachers were given an introduction to traditional music in Viljandi on August 25-27." Joons pointed out that another important signpost during the summer was the XIV Estonian ETHNO camp which was held in Kõpu immediately before Viljandi Folk Music Festival where young Estonian musicians enhanced their instrument playing skills together with youngsters from Mordovia, Belgium, Sweden, Czech Republic and Austria.
August Pulst School is a non-formal educational centre which offers courses on different aspects of the traditional culture. The school was named after August Pulst (1889-1977) who was collector of antiquities who helped to preserve Estonian musical heritage. The school is located in the Traditional Music Center in Viljandi.

Drama 2010 Plays “Festive Story”

2010-08-30

"Festive Story" which was perfomed on five occasions in the Traditional Music Center was chosen to be on the programme of Estonia's largest theatre festival Drama.
The production is based on two Estonian traditional stories: "Taevane pulm" ("Heavenly Wedding) and "Hunt ja uteke" ("Wolf and Ewe"). These stories are about meeting, separating, and reuniting.
The production is performed by Kadri Karu, Mari Kalkun, Helen Rekkor, Liisa Taul, Tanel Kadalipp, Karl Saks, Sander Põllu and Rauno Kaibiainen.
The production will be held as a part of Drama 2010 author's theatre progamme in the newly renovated Theatre House (Lutsu Street 2) in Tartu on Saturday, September 11 at 16.00 and on Sunday, September 12 at 12.00.

Lost And Found Items

2010-08-27

During the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and after that the Traditional Music Center received a number of things without owners. If you recognize any of the things in the gallery below, please contact the Administrator by phone +372 43 42 070.

Look at the gallery of lost and found items here.

Festival Made Thousands of Delightful People Dance

2010-08-26

Viljandi Folk Music Festival that concluded yesterday attracted once again thousands of music lovers. About 20,000 people came to enjoy the very danceable program during the four festival days which is about the same number as in previous years.

Festival Head Ando Kiviberg considered the Festival a success and convinced everyone that it is not just another summer event. "The Festival was born from a sincere wish to find broader ground for promoting traditional music.

That goal we already reached several years ago and today we can surely say that it was not a mere fad. We have been blessed with lots of friends at home as well as abroad who have our greatest respect. We are grateful to everybody who could come to Viljandi and contributed to the birth of the Festival-miracle once again," Kiviberg said. He was glad that Festival guests quickly got used to the dance floor in the moat in front of Jaani Church. "As it was constantly covered with dancers and musicians, I believe, we have reason to set it down there next years as well. Dance flew forth from people just the way we hoped last autumn while deciding on the theme."

Saturday was the day with the biggest festival audience just as it has been in the previous years - over 10,000 people enjoyed concerts and workshops. The most popular performer turned out to be Russian group Otava yo who attracted about 4,000 people to their concert at Kaevumägi.

Approximately the same number of festival guests enjoyed the open-air concerts by Svjata Vatra and Pantokraator. The Internet transmissions at www.folk.ee enabled festival participation via 2285 computers. In addition to Estonia there were 27 countries represented, the highest number of viewers in Germany, Sweden and Finland. Transmission in Estonia also reached the homes of thousands of Elion DigiTV clients.

The next Festival takes place from July 28 to 31, 2011 and the new theme will be disclosed at the start of autumn.

Kaerajaan to Europe and to the World

2010-06-01

Tallinn will be the culture capital of Europe in 2011. To promote Estonian folkdances we present Estonian folkdance Kaerajaan as a gift to Europe and to the world. Estonians are not only a singing nation but also a dancing nation!

As of today, there are 16 000 people who have joined the movement - this is 100 dancers per day since the beginning of the campaign. In addition to Estonia, Kaerajaan has been danced in USA, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxemburg, Portugal, Germany and Turkey. Various different nationalities who have danced so far include Estonians, Americans, Aserbaijans, Belgians, Georgians, Britains, Italians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Norwegians, Pakistanis, Poles, Portuguese, Swedes, Romanians, Germans, Slovenians, Finns, Turkish, Hungarians, and Russians...

The Three I's to move the Kaerajaan campaign forward:

Invite! Invite people to dance Kaerajaan. Ask party organisers and music groups to play Kaerajaan music and teach this dance.

Interprete! Rework the dance the way you want - it is a folkdance after all! Dance it upright and laying down, on the ground and in the water, not to mention the air! Make new lyrics for Kaerajaan song. Invite musicians to inteprete the music from classic to punk, rap and hard rock...

Inform! Tell to everyone you meet about Kaerajaan.

Inform ERRS about dancing by emailing to kadri@errs.ee. Let Kadri know about who, where, and when Kaerajaan was danced and also list the nationalities of people who danced. Attach photos/videos if possible.

You can see how well the campaign is doing here: http://www.errs.ee/index.php?id=11746
Music, dance description and other related info is found here: www.errs.ee
Kaerajaan fanclub on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=361689294380&ref=ts
55 different ways to dance Kaerajaan: http://www.youtube.com/user/ERRSKJ
Kaerajaan Award letter: http://www.errs.ee/public/2010_wordid/Kaerajaan_kiidukiri_1.0.pdf

Kaerajaan story briefly: Kaerjaan was born in 19th century. The legend speaks of the village boy whose name was Jaan Kaer (John Oat). Jaan hid himself in the Manor's washroom to peek at girls doing laundry. Due to the heat in the room, the girls had minimum clothes on... Jaan was caught peeking and the girls came up with a teasing song about him. The song starts with the words: Kaera Jaan, Kaera Jaan get out and take a look! The contemporary explanation of Kaerajaan is that jumping up and down and clapping hands is the way the people in Nordic countries warm themselves up during cold winters.

Ann Maria Piho won the second Estonian instrument students playing competition

2010-05-19

Ann Maria Piho, the winner of the second Estonian instrument students playing competition that was held on May 7 at the Traditional Music Center, was invited to perform in festival opening ceremony.

About 70 children all over Estonia participated in the competition. The Project Manager Mare Lilienthal said that many of them stood out with such skills that would allow them to perform before larger audiences as well. "We can be quite sure that the traditional musicians today have great young musicians coming," she said and was hopeful that the performance in festival opening ceremony would provide Ann Maria Piho with an experience that would help her develop into a good musician.

Mare Lilienthal expressed pleasure that the organizers of the competitions had at meeting tens of bright-eyed boys and girls as well as their teachers at the Ait. "Seems that everything went great and next year we might expect even more active participation at the competition."

The playing competition was organized and carried out by the free educational August Pulst School operating at the Estonian Traditional Music Center. Playing was assessed by Neeme Punder, Elo Kalda, Ürjo Jaama, Tarmo Noormaa, Ain Agan and Ando Kiviberg.

Best players:

Grand prix - Ann Maria Piho (kannel)

Kannel (younger)
best - Miina Aleksandra Piho
special prizes - Annabel Kaasik, Lisete Link, Robert Reiska

Kannel (older)
best - Ann Maria Piho
special prizes - Elise Roodla, Mirjam Vodi

Open grade (younger)
best - Lisete Ulla
special prizes - Kärt Pihlap, Eliise Veltri

Open grade (older)
best - Hanna-Liis Lao
special prize - Säde Tatar

Bagpipes (younger)
best - Hanna Valk
special prizes - Ott Leitham

Bagpipes (older)
best - Kaisa Kuslapuu

Diatonic accordions(younger)
best - Ruti Kirikmäe
special prize - Doris Kudre

Violin (younger)
best - Laura Kruusamäe

Violin (older)
best - Gloria Kadarpik
special prizes - Marta Lotta Kukk, Triin Puusaar

Plucked instruments (younger)
best - Egert Ojamäe
special prize - Ivo Laanelind

Plucked instruments (older)
best - Paul Neitsov
special prizes - Sten Aamer, Tõnis Taul

Bowed harp (younger)
Best - Hanna Valk

Traditional lullabies now available on CD

2010-05-10

Tartu music studio Musaklubi released an album called "Suisu, Suisu Lapsukene" ("fall asleep, child") which contains Estonian traditional evening songs and lullabies.

The most beautiful lullabies from different Estonian counties feature on this album. Furthermore, the lyrics contain as much of the local dialect as possible. The album is unique because all the songs were sung together by the child and his mother, father or some person close to him. "We released this record because we believe that it will help to preserve and introduce Estonian traditional music. We hope that this will encourage some adult listeners to sing together with their children," said Pille Siht who was one of the people who organised the release of this album.

The album was released as a collaboration between Musaklubi music studio and Luunja Midrimaa kindergarten. Pille Siht explained that the idea to release this album came from the realisation that old lullabies have been forgotten in Estonia even though one day they were an important part of everyday life. Nevertheless, she claims that there is a major demand for lullabies. "Parents who we have worked together with have noticed the positive effect of these lullabies when trying to calm their children down. Thus, these songs are not only nice to listen to but they are also practical."

Additional information:
Pille Siht, instructor at Musaklubi
musaklubi.musaklubi@gmail.com

Bank Continues Supporting

2010-04-18

LHV Bank and Estonian Traditional Music Center signed a contract of cooperation according to which the Bank continues to support Viljandi Folk Music Festival and is the first enterprise to lend a hand and contribute to the year-round activities organized by the Center.

The Chairman of the Board of the LHV Bank Erki Kilu and the Director of the Traditional Music Center Ando Kiviberg signed the contract on April 15, in the small hall of the Center where the Bank was holding its customers.

Erki Kilu emphasized that LHV is a bank based on Estonian capital which is why they are interested in participating in the events that aim at preserving Estonian national culture. "Entrepreneurs have to contribute in the situation where the state resources are limited in order to assure the sustainability of preserving and developing national culture," he said.

"The collaboration of more than a year has proved us that the power of Estonian Traditional Music Center does not reside merely in one big summer event, it lays rather in their active year-round functioning in Viljandi and in other towns. That is why we decided, in addition to sponsoring the Festival, to support the seasonal activities of the Center as well."

Ando Kiviberg reminded that economic crisis has, within the past couple of years, directly or indirectly had its impact on the whole society and that is why it is especially important to value highly these enterprises who, despite everything, can pay attention to permanent values. "It is a pleasure to work together with people who understand that keeping traditional music alive is not just entertainment - it is an activity vital for the survival of traditional music. It is the musical mother tongue of our nation that touches everybody to smaller or larger extent."

LHV Bank was established in 1999 based on Estonian capital, and is active in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. LHV Bank was granted activity license as a credit company on May 6, 2009. The services by LHV Bank are used by more than 13,000 customers LHV became the grand supporter of Viljandi Folk Music Festival in January 2009.

The band Ro:Toro toured in the UK

2010-04-09

The band Ro:Toro who plays traditional songs which mix the sounds of traditional Estonian bagpipe with jazz, rock, and obscure instruments gave 15 concerts during March 10-28 in the South-West of England.

After touring in England last year and participating in an international showcase (IVOC: International Showcase and Conference on Rural Touring), the group managed to sign long-term contracts with different companies who organise concerts in the rural areas of the UK. The band will be touring in different parts of the UK in the coming autumn and in the spring and autumn of 2011.
This year, the concerts were mainly held in village halls. According to the percussionist Silver Sepp, these houses play a very important role in the English culture because they help to unite and keep the communities alive. In addition to that, Ro:Toro also visited some small towns where concerts were held in professional concert halls.

The group drove around by themselves and was very satisfied with the professional organisation and warm welcome which followed them everywhere. "Travelling this way is a very pleasant way of connecting to a foreign culture and atmosphere," claimed Sepp.

Ro:Toro kept a blog while touring which can be accessed here: http://rotoro.wordpress.com

Estonian ETHNO is very popular this year

2010-04-09

The number of people applying for the ETHNO camp this year has been considerably higher than during previous years and due to this, all the places were already filled by the beginning of April which is two moths earlier than planned. However, August Pulst School will continue to register people who are interested in participating in case there will be vacancies.

The project manager Margit Kuhi said that on the one hand, she is very glad that this happened because growing interest among participants proves that this kind of event is needed in Estonia and that the previous camps have been successful. "On the other hand, I feel sad because I know that many talented youngsters would like to join us but cannot. Closing the door in front of them is not pleasant."

Similarly to last year, the camp will be held in Kõpu mansion which is situated near Viljandi. As usual, the camp is meant for 16-30-year-old youngsters who are interested in music and who wish to improve their skills and to enjoy themselves while doing it. The camp ends with a concert on the first day of the Viljandi Folk Music Festival.

Dance party was attractive

2010-02-16

The XVII winter dance party, which was held on February 6 in the Estonian Traditional Music Center and the centre of Viljandi, turned out to be more popular than ever before. According to the organisers, more than 700 people took part in the joint dancing session and the audience consisted of about 300 people. During the main day of the party, which lasted for three days, Estonian and Polish dance workshops were held in the Chamber Hall of the Estonian Traditional Music Center and the folk dance group Vabajalg and the University of Tartu Folk Art Group gave a performance in the Grand Hall. The day ended with an afterparty with the band Estonian Brass. Pictures and video by Sakala, the daily newspaper of Viljandimaa, can be accessed here.

Exhibition commemorating the birthday of a famous bellows-driven instrument maker

2010-02-16

This year, on the 29th of August, 135 years will have passed since the birth of the bellows-driven instrument maker August Teppo. For this occasion, a photo exhibition by the Võrumaa Museum titled "The Sound of Teppo's Instruments" will be held held at the foyer of the Estonian Traditional Music Center. Võrumaa Museum has celebrated the birthday of the famous craftsman for 10 years already by organising a bellows-driven instrument day where all the Old-Võrumaa bellows-driven instrument players and people who own one of Teppo's instruments convene.

The owner of the oldest instrument which was made in 1896, Heinar Kahar from Põlva has perfomed at 9 of these events. Other players own instruments which were made during the second decade of the XX century and later. All in all, the bellows-driven instrument days have attracted 41 players and 18 of Teppo's instruments have played at these events. However, time leaves its mark on both people and instruments. Many of the people who owned Teppo's instruments in the 1970s have now passed away but their instruments keep changing owners. Our oldest player Elmar Ruusamäe from Võru who has given new life to several instruments including several of Teppo's instuments, is the one who looks after the instruments and keeps them in good condition. Unfortunately, the number of Teppo's instruments is limited, thus, Heino Tartes from Valgjärve has started to make new instruments with which most of the men from Põlva now play.

The exhibition held in the Estonian Traditional Music Center is part of the 10th bellows-driven instruments day display which introduces August Teppo's life and work. Some of the instruments he made are displayed on photos.

The exhibition was compiled by Maimu Telk and Tiia Haug was responsible for the design.

The logo for XVIII Viljandi Folk Music Festival

2010-01-08

The winner of the scholarship competition which was organised to find a logo for XVIII Vilajndi folk music festival was an artist called Tõnu Kukk who also designed the poster of the festival in 1994.

Tõnu Kukk said that he has taken part of the design competitions for the folk festival during the interim years as well but he did not won. According to him, designing the logo was not that difficult this time around. "I kept the theme of the festival in mind and let my imagination run free," he stated. That is how the merry logo with three pairs of legs bursting out of an accordion was born.

You can look at all the logos which were submitted to the competition here.

The theme of Viljandi Folk Music Festival: "Dance Breaks out from Within!"

2010-01-06

The theme of XVIII Folk Music Festival held in the Castle Hills and the centre of Viljandi during 22-25 July 2010 is "Dance Breaks out from Within!"

The name of the theme is similar to what Joosep Toots in the movie "Summer" shouted to his former classmates then they started dancing in a flour mill. XVIII Folk Music Festival will be as merry, uniting and why not even naughty as that dance in the flour mill. In 2009, the skills of single instrument players were honoured. Next, the festival aims to make the guests dance as they have never danced before.

Music and dancing have since the beginning of history been tightly connected to and dependent on each other. If the musician is able to play in such an enchanting way that the listeners feel something moving in their hearts and feet, the dance will emerge involuntarily and it has to break out and be seen.

In his book "Kontratantsud", Estonian traditional dance researcher and teacher, the legendary Krisjtan Torop has said: "Society dances have from the beginning been wholly in the service of entertainment, they have not been connected to any kinds of rituals or holidays. /.../. Folk dance in general has a wider meaning because in addition to the entertaining aspect, it also includes magical, ritual, acrobatic, and imitational dances the use of which is confined to specific situations."

Dance is a means of communicating without words, a reason to get together, get to know each other, and fall in love. The magic of reproduction has always been one of the traditional aims of dancing. Dancing is the flywheel of the circle of life which also emphasises our origins and brings people together. In order to achieve all that, the rhythms and moves have to be traditional.

XVIII Viljandi Folk Music Festival will try to create situations where the dancing tradition of different Estonian places could develop and become more contemporary through the means of improvisation. All that has to be done within the boundaries of the tradition as Torop has pointed out. Why not rock to a polka and swing to a rheinländer? Wouldn't it be nice to start out with the basic moves of labajalavalss (an Estonian folk waltz) and add turns and twirls? Why not? The festival aims to develop people's individual self-expression and improvisation skills through traditional dance.

At the last festival, musicians showed their magic. For this reason, it is more than certain that next July, Viljandi Folk Music Festival with its heavenly atmosphere will witness several dance miracles.

Dance has to break out from within!

The winter dance party in February

2009-12-15

The winter dance party held in February 2010 in Viljandi will concentrate on rounds and circle dances. Similarly to previous years, hundreds of dancers are welcome to take part in the joint dancing session on the Vabaduse square regardless of the weather.
According to Vaike Rajaste, who is the organiser of the party taking place on February 4-6, the central idea of the winter dance which is held for the 12th time coincides with the theme of the next Viljandi Folk Music Festival which is "Dance Breaks Out from Within". "Every winter we have tried to create an atmosphere where the participants would not feel restricted by the dance patterns and would, first and foremost, enjoy themselves and their friends while dancing. Putting on a show for the audience has never been important and that is why there is no rehearsal period before the joint dancing session," she explained.
Accoring to Rajaste, the winter dance party can also be called a festival because it lasts for three days and offers something to both those who participate and those who prefer to stand by and just watch. For example, the programme also includes concerts by foreign dance groups which are held in the schools and civic centres in Viljandi county.
On February 6, everyone is welcome to take part of workshops held in the Traditional Music Center and attend the concert given by folk dance groups. The joint dancing session which will take place outside will start with a procession moving through the centre of Viljandi. The event is hosted by Märt Agu.
During previous years, the winter dance party has attracted not only hundreds of Estonian dancers but also people from Indonesia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania. However, Vaike Rajaste did not agree to reveal where the guests of this years festival will be from because agreements have not yet been signed.
Even though dancing outside during wintertime is rather uncommon in contemporary Estonia, old records indicate that during the Middle Ages, this was a common occurence in the cities of Estonia and Livonia. In some places like Tartu the dancers allegedly enjoyed themselves too much so that the powers had to intervene.
The winter dance party is organised by the Union of Estonia Dance Teachers, folk dance group Vabajalg, and the folk dance ensemble Viljandi.
The homepage of the winter dance party can be found here.

Sibelius Academy is experimenting with a web radio station

2009-10-30

The only music university in Finland, the Sibelius Academy launched a experimental project on October 12 by opening a Finnish folk music radio station online.

You can listen to it here.

The band Zetod recorded a new single

2009-09-22

Zetod who broke the audience record at this year's Viljandi Folk Music Festival, released their new single "Suitors from the Sea" which will find its way to the band's next album as well.

The head of Zetod, Jalmar Vabarna explained that the song is about a young lady who is washing at the sea and several suitors emerge from the water. First of all there is the iron man, but the lady refuses to marry him. Next, there is the silver man who also has to leave without the woman. Last but not least, a countryman, who the lady has secretly yearned for, comes out of the water.

The song was recorded in August 2009 at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy sound studio.

The band which was created in 2003 consists of Jalmar Vabarna (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 2-row diatonic button accordion, cabasa, vocals), Jaanus Viskar (bass guitar, vocals), Artur Linnus (accordion, vocals), and Martin Kütt (drums, cajon, vocals).

Their new single is available for listening here.

School concerts will continue during this season

2009-09-22

In order to enrich the school curriculum with colourful music experiences, August Pulst School at the Estonian Traditional Music Center will similarly to the previous year organise gripping school concerts during autumn and winter.

The topics covered at different concerts are the following:

Close friendship with traditional music and instruments
Journey into Estonian and Ukrainian traditional music
Traditional music from the Estonian-Swedish islands and regions
Holidays in the Estonian traditional calendar

School concerts can be organised both in schools and in the Traditional Music Center.

More information from here

The largest national leather shoes

2009-09-22

The largest national leather shoes in the world shown at the Traditional Music Center

On September 13, the largest national leather shoes (soft heelless shoes worn by peasants) made by leather specialists Kaido and Piret Iter at the Ülemiste shopping cetner in Tallinn found their home at the Traditional Music Center in Viljandi.

According to the marketing director of the shopping center Kristina Antšak, they decided to give the shoes to the Traditional Music Center because it is one of the pillar stones of Estonian culture life.

The shoes fit for feet number 144.

Mailbox for good thoughts in the Traditional Music Center

2009-09-21

Viljandi Youth Council is installing a mailbox for good thoughts into the foyer of the Traditional Music Center where both citizens of Viljandi and guests can leave their ideas and proposals.

"All kinds of important observations about Viljandi are welcome, it does not matter if they are positive or negative," explained the speaker of the Youth Council Sandra Kütt to the newspaper "Sakala".

In addition to the Traditional Music Center, mailboxes will be installed into the buildings of the city government, Culture Academy, library, and one of them will be put up somewhere in the city center.

The mailboxes were made at Viljandi Joint Vocational Secondary School. The logo of the youth council will be attached to them and paper and pen will be provided. The boxes will be emptied once a month.

Traditional Music Center is preparing for the new season

2009-08-26

In the beginning of August, the employees of Estonian Traditional Music Center returned from their invigorating vacations and continued their work on preparing for the new season.

The opening party of the new season is held on September 11. Bands like Alle-aa which consists of former students of the Culture Academy (making its comeback!), the absurd duo Minu Isa Oli Ausus Ise (My father Was Honesty Itself), which has been very popular at several folk music festivals, will perform. Bellows players Siim Rikker, Juhan Uppin, Asso Int, Enrik Visla, Toomas Oks, and Aid Lindvest will play to accompany dancing.

Later in the evening, the party will continue with the contemporary music event Aidaquarium vol 4 in the glass part of the Traditional Music Center where famous folk musicians Cätlin Jaago, Tiit Kikas, Kulno Malva, and Ruslan Trochynskyi will perform together with the DJ P.Julm.

Until the end of August, the Traditional Music Center located in the Viljandi Castle Hills is opened every day 9:00-18:00. Starting from September, the doors will be opened between 9:00-21:00 during weekdays and 11:00-21:00 on weekends. In between different events and concerts, guests can visit the library on the cellar floor. Furthermore, it is possible to order tours to get to know the historical concert venue (contact: anu.rannu@folk.ee, +372 434 2072, +372 5330 4928)

Best instrument players chosen

2009-07-13

The best young instrument players in six instrument groups were selected at the cross-national contest for instrument players on Friday, May 15 at the Estonian Traditional Music Center. The first prize - a stipend and an opportunity to perform at XVII Viljandi Folk Music Festival was given to Ann Maria Piho (in the picture) from Haanjamaa for her masterful zither playing and confident performance.

All in all, 36 youngsters took part in the cross-national contest for instrument players organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center. The jury consisted of Celia Roose, Neeme Punder, Veljo Tormis, Jalmar Vabarna, and Jaanus Põder from Estonia and Christina Frohm from Sweden.

The best folk instrument players are: Elise Roodla (zither), Ann Maria Piho (zither), Allar Kiristaja (bellows), Evelin Ämarik (bellows), Hellika Kallaste (block flute), Lauri Kadalipp (bagpipe), Gloria Kadarpik (violin), Kevin Podnieks (open class - guitar), Paul Neitsov (open class - guitar).

During the contest, the participants had to play two folk songs - one of their own choice and the other had to be somehow connected to the player's home county or neighbouring area. According to the jury, the playing style of the contestants resembled their teachers in many respects but for the jury, even more important than choosing the best players was experiencing the special atmosphere of the contest.

"Due to the fact that traditional music curriculums in music schools are still in their infantry and the tradition of playing folk instruments is only becoming to life again, the youngsters need, first and foremost, a place where to share their experiences and collect their repertoires," described Sofia Joons, head of August Pulst School and one of the organisers of the contest.

Detailed festival program now available

2009-07-13

The program of Viljandi Folk Music Festival with all the performers, dates, and times is available at the festival homepage. The last of the festival passes are available for 890 kroons and selling of the day tickets which cost 180 -390 kroons has also started.

Altogether 30 performers from Estonia and 13 from abroad will take the stage during XVII Viljandi Folk Music Festival, the theme of which is "Solo!". According to the Programme Manager Tarmo Noormaa, there have been some changes in the list of performers. Järsumäe Virve who is also known as Kihnu Virve from Estonia will perform together with her family band and Audru Jõelaevanduse Punt (Audru Riverboating Band) on Sunday, 26th July. The French band ZEF, who was initially announced as a performer will be replaced with lively Ukrainian folk music by the band Burdon who will give a concert on Friday (24th July) and Sunday (26th July).

The head sponsors of Viljandi Folk Music Festival are Saku and LHV. Additional information available at www.folk.ee/festival

Culture Trove opened

2009-07-13

On July 2, a comprehensive information portal called the Culture Trove was launched through which it is possible to explore the roots of dance and song festivals, look up different folk instruments and national costumes and acquiant yourself with the holidays in the popular calendar.

It has taken five years to gather the database which is available at www.folk.ee/kultuurilaegas. "The idea to create a portal which would provide information about different spheres of folk culture was conceived when talks about adding the Estonian dance and song festivals to UNESCO's list of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage started," explained the autor of the idea of the Culture Trove and its first editor in chief, the Head of the Esotnian Traditional Music Center Library Aleksander Sünter.

Starting from today, the portal is up and running and available for everyone. The site is divided into three sections with abundant explanatory material, photos, and archival data about folk songs and song festivals, folk dance and dance festivals, folk instruments and traditional music, national costumes and popular calendar holidays.

"The aim of the Culture Trove is to promote the idea that song and dance festivals are not simply borrowings from the Baltic-Germans but their roots lie deep inside our identity," said Aleksander Sünter. "Estonians love to think of themselves as a singing and dancing nation. What did this mean to the generations before us? What kind of dances did they dance and songs did they sing? Why? When? Where? Through the Culture Trove, we hope to contribute to people's knowledge about the roots of their identity and make them see the value of being a bearer of that culture."

The current editor in chief of the Culture Trove is Taive Särg, who is a senior researcher at the Estonian Literary Musem and an ethnomusicologist. Different sections are edited by Mall Hiiemäe, Ellen Värv, Maie Orav, Kristin Kuutma, and Raivo Sildoja.

The content of the Culture Trove is currently available only in Estonian, but the English and Russian versions will soon follow. The Culture Trove was launched by NGO Tartumaa Rahvakultuuri Keskselts in cooperation with NGO Estonian Traditional Music Center. The project was funded by UNESCO and Tiger Leap Foundation and carried out by Exact.

Performers of the festival revealed

2009-04-30

Viljandi Folk Music Festival revealed this year's performers and started selling day passes. In addition to several widely loved and unexpected performances from Estonian musicians, the festival on 23-26 July also features performances from musicians from India, Brazil, Europe, and Russia.

A total of 30 Estonian and 13 foreign performers will participate in XVII Viljandi Folk Music Festival the theme of which is "Solo!". Due to its theme, the instrumental mastery of the musicians was also taken into account when choosing the performers.

According to the Program Manager Tarmo Noormaa, several different Estonian artists will come together on stage to perform only once at the festival. "Andres Mustonen together with Maarja Nuut and Taavo Remmel will perform a programme which is based on lore. I would also like to point out that Tiit Kikas will be using a laser zither in his performance and the folk-rock boys from Zetod have joined their creative forces with Lenna Kuurmaa."

The audience will also meet their old favourites Vägilased, Untsakad, Väikeste Lõõtspillide Ühing, Svjata Vatra, Triskele and Oort. Similarly, newcomers at the music scene like the folk-fusion group Paabel, Atlas which plays Armenian folk music, a group called Klapp, etc. will give a concert.

Most of the foreign performers come from Europe, but there will also be musicians from India and North and South America. "A citar player and a tabla player from India will give an oriental air to the festival. In addition to that, a charming Brasilian girl band called Clã Brazil will introduce the musical tradition of their country," said Tarmo Noormaa. "Furthermore, the performance by the spiritual leader of the Indian tribe Tohono o'odham from Arizona, Rupert Encinas whose Indian name is Ba´ag Da or the Flying Eagle and who plays ceremonial songs will definitely be an experience in itself."

In addition to the names already mentioned, Ellika & Solo which consists of musicians from Sweden and Senegal, the balalaika virtuoso Aleksei Arkhipovsky from Russia, throat singer Andrei Mongush from Tuva, J. Karjalainen from Finland with a American-Finnish folk song programme, Blima from Spain who specialises in Asturian folk music, Alpine Ramblas from Austria, bagpipe players Stefan Timmermans and Bart de Cock from Flandria, Petter Berndalen from Sweden who plays melodies on drums, ZEF from France and the itinerant musicians of Ethno in Transit who have performed in Estonia before will perform in Viljandi on 23-26 July.

Day passes for Viljandi Folk Music Festival cost 180-390 kroons and are available at Piletilevi. It is possible to buy festival passes on www.folk.ee/festival which until the end of May cost 790 kroons.

The programme of the festival and additional information about the tickets available at www.folk.ee/festival

Educational movie about talharpa released

2009-04-30

Estonian Traditional Music Center and August Pulst School contributed to producing the educational movie "TALHARPA and its related instruments".

The movie is based on the international gathering of players of talharpa-type instruments which took place in the Estonian Traditional Music Center on 2-4 October 2008. The aim of the movie is to provide general information about this ancient instrument together with sound samples.

The film lasts for 1 hour and 13 minutes. The DVD can be bought for 120 kroons at the Estonian Traditional Music Center record store. The movie is also available in the Traditional Music Center Library and August Pulst School.

August Pulst School would like to thank the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Nordisk Kulturfond, University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, Anneli Kont-Rahtola, and Liina Härm for their help.

Contest for musical instrument players

2009-04-16

Registration for the national contest for musical instrument players held in the Traditional Music Center in Viljandi on May 15 is now opened. The aim of the contest is to rediscover and value the tradition of playing Estonian traditional music and to provide an opportunity for young musicians to express themselves and put their skills to test.

Every youngster who is at least 7 years old and who studies traditional music is welcome to participate. The long-term aim of Estonian Traditional Music Center is to organise a joint contest for all age groups and all different Estonian traditional instruments.

"Until now, contests have been held for certain instrument groups but we do not have the tradition of organising contests for different instruments and age groups together," said Ando Kiviberg, the head of Estonian Traditional Music Center. "Our long-term aim is to organise such large playing contests on the example of Northern countries and Ireland. This year, however, we will concentrate on youngsters to give both the students and their teachers an opportunity to compare themselves with others and collect and share their repertoires."

The contest will be carried out in two age groups: younger players and older players. Participants are expected to play two different kinds of pieces of Estonian traditional music of their own choice, one of which has to originate from the players home county or neighbouring area.

The instruments will be divided into seven groups: zither, bellows, violin, bagpipe, talharpa, traditional wind instruments and the open class (all other instruments, for example guitar, accordion, flute, saxophone, etc.)

During the contest, the jury evaluates the players knowledge of the tradition and his/her individual mastery. The jury consists of: Celia Roose, Neeme Punder, Veljo Tormis, Jalmar Vabarna and Jaanus Punder from Estonia and Christina Frohm from Sweden. The best players of every instrument group will be rewarded and the best of the best will have the chance to perform at XVII Viljandi Folk Music Festival.

For more information and registration (before April, 20!) please contact anu.rannu@folk.ee. Participation is free of charge.

Traditional music camp in Estonia

2009-04-07

16 traditional/ethnic musicians are invited to participate at ETHNO ESTONIA 2009.

ETHNO ESTONIA 2009 is a traditional music camp in Estonia for young musicians between 16 and 30. It takes place from the 17th to the 23rd of July 2009.

During the ETHNO week, traditional music mostly from Estonia will be taught and introduced through music sessions both in smaller workshops and major dance, singing and instrumental workshops with all Ethno Estonia participants.

Ethno Estonia is held every year in mid-July just before the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and the Ethno week ends with the grand festival with more than 20.000 visitors. The Estonian traditional music workshop participants will be asked to perform together with the other Ethno Estonia participants both on major and smaller stages at the festival. The Ethno concert programs consist of tunes and songs that have been taught during the week and invites the audience to enjoy the music, to dance and feel the true spirit of traditional music.

The participation fee and travel costs are supported by the participants' local Rotary clubs (when applying to Ethno Estonia, the organisers of Ethno Estonia will help to get in contact with Rotary clubs all around the world) and will for non-Estonian participants be 150 €. The fee includes workshops, excursions, lodging and all meals during Ethno Estonia from the 17th to the 23rd of July and lodging during the Viljandi Folk Music Festival from the 23rd to the 26th of July.

If you are interested in participating at the Ethno Estonia, please:

1. Send us a DEMO-recording (mp3 or CD) with three tunes. It doesn't have to be of high quality - it is only needed to give a picture of your musical skills. One of the pieces must be a solo performance though.

Deadline: 24th of April (all applications will be responded to by the 4th of May).

Postal address: Att. Sofia Joons, August Pulst school, Tasuja pst.6 , Viljandi 71011, Estonia

E-mail: sofia.joons@folk.ee

From her you'll also get additional information by phone +372 5664 2510 or by e-mail sofia.joons@folk.ee

2. Your personal information:
- (all) Your name (-s)
- Your age
- Your nationality
- Your postal address
- Your e-mail
- Your language skills
- Instruments you play/instruments you intend to bring to Ethno Estonia
- Information on how long you have been playing your instrument(s)
- Information on how familiar you are with your own country's traditional music
- Information on how familiar you are with learning music by ear, without notes

The aforementioned information (p.3 and p.4) must be sent a.s.a.p. by e-mail to Sofia Joons (sofia@folk.ee) before the 24th of April 2009.

Arrival: At Tallinn Airport or Tallinn Harbour on Thursday 16th of July.

Departure: From Tallinn Airport or Harbour on Sunday, 26th of July. If you are interested, the Viljandi Rotary club offers you to stay a week with a nice Estonian family after Ethno Estonia.

Accommodation: Kõpu school (near Viljandi) and lodging at a school in central Viljandi during the Viljandi Folk Music Festival on the 23rd to the 26th of July.

Storytelling Day „Neighbours"

2009-03-10

Storytelling Day is held on March 20th, this year´s theme is "Neighbours".

Programme of the International Storytelling Day is:

19.00 Opening
19.15-21.30 storytellers Piret Päär from Estonia and Liesma Lagzdiņa and Līga Reitere from Latvia share their tales. The stories in Latvian will be translated into Estonian. Musicians perform together with the storytellers.
21.30 Welcoming spring in the Viljandi Castle Hills and tasting the home-made pastries that people have brought with them.
22.00-~02.00 Dance session conducted by Estonian and Latvian musicians. Several dances will be taught together with visiting musicians and dancers from Rīgas Danču Klubs in Riga.

The World Storytelling Day is celebrated on March 20, the vernal equinox. This year's theme is „Neighbours". Neighbours are both the people living in the house next to us and our neighbouring nations in the geographical and cultural sense. As the saying goes, a good neighbour is a found treasure. Even though Estonia shares a border with Latvia, it often seems that Estonians know very little about Latvians. Thus, the Storytelling Day in the Estonian Traditional Music Center is dedicated to Latvia. Both Estonian and Latvian storytellers share their tales, musicians perform and when the night falls, a dance session is held where both Estonian and Latvian dances are be taught to open a dance dialogue between the two nations. The event is open to everyone.

In 2002, Swedish storytellers started the tradition of celebrating the International Storytelling Day. During one day and night, as many people as possible around the world are invited to tell and listen to stories in as many languages as possible. As a result of this, a huge amount of positive energy is created because people have always believed that one can not do harm while telling stories...

Paabel goes on tour

2009-03-05

The band called Paabel which combines jazz and traditional music has released its first album and is going on a tour in Estonia in the middle of March to introduce it.

The album release concerts of "Epöoa" are held from 12th to 21th March in Kuressaare, Võru, Viljandi, Tartu, Pärnu and Tallinn. In order to capture the energy and authenticity which can only be felt at concerts, all the 13 songs were recorded at two live-concerts during January 2009. The album also contains the video version of the title song of the album called "Epöpoa".

Paabel tries to approach traditional music with an open mind - they combine old instrumental tunes, traditional songs, jazz and rock music with their own creation. Improvisation and the inner synergy of the band play a significant role in the works of Paabel, or as the charming founder of the band, Sandra Sillamaa says: "Our aim is to create music which we enjoy and would like to listen to - the joy of playing together and taking satisfaction in it are of primary importance."

Paabel consists of five members, four of which study jazz music and one is a student of traditional music. All the members are multifunctional: their traditional wind instrument player Sandra Sillamaa is equally proficient in playing the willow flute, bagpipe, and soprano saxophone. Some of the most recent projects of the singer Arno Tamm include Veljo Tormis's "Songs of Estonian Men" and the rock opera "Ruja". The guitarist Erko Niit, percussionist Tõnu Tubli, and the bass player Tanel Kadalipp have received recognition in association with different jazz music projects and their own original music.

The recently completed album "Epöpoa" was designed by the artist Nerva and the originals of the works based on which the album was designed are on sale at the concerts.

In addition to Estonia, Paabel has also performed in Finland, Lithuania, Hungary and the United States. Samples of their work can be found on www.myspace.com/paabel.

Album release concerts take place in:

12.03 at 19.00 Kuressaare City Theatre
15.03 at 17.00 Võru Cultural Center Kannel
18.03 at 19.00 Estonian Traditional Music Center
19.03 at 19.00 Tartu Culture Center Athena
20.03 at 21.30 Cafe of Endla Theatre in Pärnu
21.03 at 20.00 Cellar Hall of N099 in Tallinn

The tour is organised by the Estonian Traditional Music Center

The best of world music in Tartu

2009-02-28

On Saturday, March 7 the world music festival WORDLDandWIDE is held in the Tartu Culture Center Athena. The dynamic and exotic festival features music which originates from different traditions and transcends style boundaries and hosts guests from Madagascar and Portugal.

The festival consists of four concerts - two concerts by Estonian musicians and two given by exotic foreigners. The Estonian artists are Hedvig Hanson with a programme consisting of lullabies of different nations and the hottest reggae group around, Bombillaz whose concert will end with a reggae-party with DJ Pickney Tiger (R2) in charge. The international guests come from Portugal and Madagascar, the latter of whom will host a workshop as well.

Kilema from Madagascar whose full name is Randrianantoandro Clément, is one of the most famous musicians from Madagascar and a true virtuoso on different string instruments - valiha, kabosy, and marovany. The sunny island of Madagascar in Africa has a unique music culture - the traditional Malagasy music is combined with African, Indonesian, Arabian, and European influences. Kilema uses the rich polyphony of the Southern part of the island in his music. The four members of the band have been exporting the magical atmosphere and rhythm of Madagascar to the world for eleven years already.

The music of the Portuguese group Dazkarieh is generally calm and reflective, but it can suddenly turn into an explosion of energy and rhythm which, however, never lacks the spiritual and emotional component. The musicians draw their inspiration from the Portuguese vocal tradition which they mix with rock music and add the feel of the Mediterranean. The fans of Viljandi Folk Music Festival got acquainted with Dazkarieh already in 2007 when the band became one of the favourites of the audience. One of the reasons why the audience is always charmed by Dazkarieh is definitely their enchanting singer Joana Negrao whose mellow voice caresses the ears of the audience throughout the concert.

The concerts of the one-day festival start at 17, 19, 21, 23 o'clock and before the concerts a free workshop on the music of Madagascar is held at 12.00. Tickets with the price of 75-100 kroons are available at Piletilevi and on site at the Tartu Athena Cultural Center. Limited number of all-day tickets available for 300/250 kroons.

The eighth world music festival WORLDandWIDE is organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center.

August Pulst jubilee year celebrated in 2009

2009-01-29

In order to celebrate the passing of 120 years from the birth of August Pulst, the collector of antiquities and a preserver of Estonian musical heritage, several joyous celebrations are organised throughout Estonia during 2009.

One of the key events of the jubilee year is the tour of village musicians, during which the village musicians and the new generation of folk musicians give concerts in community centres all over Estonia and end their tour in the Concert Hall of the "Estonia" Theatre in Tallinn on October 30. This was also the venue where during his life (1889-1977), August Pulst organised concerts for folk musicians - an initiative which in the 1920s was considered outrageous, but which despite fierce opposition from the culture management enjoyed great audience success.

In addition to that, August Pulst organised folk music recording and tours for village musicians and singers during the period between the two world wars. For several years, he zealously collected antiquities and was directly involved in the establishment of four museums, three of which, the Art Museum of Estonia, the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum, and the Tori Museum became true and the open air museum was established later.

"August Pulst did not only perpetuate and record folk culture, he also preserved old traditions and presented them in new and in his time bold ways. I often imagine him as an artist who instead of paint used lore to paint beautiful patterns. I would be extremely happy if our school could continue his life's work, "commented Sofia Joons, the head of August Pulst School at the Estonian Traditional Music Center.

High recognition from Cultural Endowment

2009-01-15

On January 10, the award ceremony of the annual culture prizes of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia took place in the Estonian Traditional Music Center. Thanks to the determined efforts put into the successful opening season, the Estonian Traditional Music Center itself was among others given an award.

In addition to recognition, Estonian Traditional Music Center also received 100 000 kroons. This year was the first time when the ceremony was held outside of Tallinn, in Viljandi.

The Estonian Traditional Music Center started its year-round concert programme in autumn 2008, offering genuine folk music for both Estonians and tourists visiting Estonia.

Viljandi Folk Music Festival focuses on solo

2008-12-18

The theme of XVII Viljandi Folk Music Festival is Solo. By choosing this theme, we would like to draw attention to one of the most important skills for folk musicians - the ability to play alone but still make the whole village dance the night away.

Playing solo is the most important form of music-making in the folk music traditions of many nations. In some places it is considered to be the simplest and most natural way to perform music. One musician or singer is enough to get the party started. At the same time, this kind of music requires individual mastery and the ability to convince people. Simply being proficient at handling an instrument is usually not enough. The singer or musician has to be broad-minded and good at communicating, has to know the background of the music and be familiar with the mores and traditions. A solo artist has to have a radiant personality.

Viljandi Folk Music festival 2009 takes a bow to one of the most important skills for folk musicians - the ability to play solo and capture the audience with your outstanding performance.

Several solo musicians and solo singers from both Estonia and abroad will perform at the festival. Needless to say, groups of two or more will also present their music at the festival, because groups do also consist of individual musicians, many of whom have a brilliant solo artist hidden inside.

XVII Viljandi Folk Music Festival is held on 23-26 July, 2009.

Latvian Dances in Dance session

2008-11-11

Latvian Dances in Dance session

November 17, 2008 19.00
Estonian Traditional Music Center

Rīgas Danču klubs began in 1987, when the folklore ensemble of the Rīga Applied Arts High School (Savieši), inspired by the growing folklore movement in Latvia, opened a rehearsal to the public. At those rehearsals anyone interested in traditional song and dance was invited to join Savieši. Dance evenings still take place in Rīga.

The dances at these evenings are for the most part ethnographic non-choreographed dances, originating in the mid 19th century to the early 20th century in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and neighboring countries. Some of the dances have been "discovered" by Rīgas Danču klubs members themselves, either from archive materials or firsthand on folklore gathering expeditions. Over time variations on the dances have developed, but this means that the dance tradition is alive. Dance evenings are accompanied by live music played on traditional instruments.

Anybody interested in learning Latvian dances or accompanying traditional dances is welcome at the Latvian dance session in Viljandi!

New music book

2008-11-03

A valuable music book and CD with new traditional songs for musical instruments, a project launched by Sandra Sillamaa, has been published.

The music book includes songs from 33 traditional musicians. Until now, these songs have been familiar only to a narrow circle of traditional musicians and have been spread between friends, whereas now everyone is welcome to learn these songs with the help of this music book. The collection contains songs of different levels of difficulty - some are suitable for beginners, some for experienced musicians.

The music book comes together with a CD with recordings of the authors playing the songs included in the book. Furthermore, pieces of advice from the authors regarding fingering, instruments, form of the song, etc are also included.

The complier of the music book, Sandra Sillamaa has said that the collection is actually only the first half of the dream. "Whether the dream of bringing youngsters closer to traditional music and provide a possibility for them to play newer Estonian traditional music together with Estonian and foreign traditional musicians will come true lies in the hands of the users of the music book," she claimed.

Authors whose songs are included in the book and who play their songs on the CD: Arno Tamm, Mari Kalkun, Juhan Suits, Katariin Raska, Kail Visla, Leanne Barbo, Ants Taul, Jalmar Vabarna, Johanna-Adele Jüssi, Karoliina Kreintaal, Kristjan Priks, Meelika Hainsoo, Krista Sildoja, Sofia Joons, Ando Kiviberg, Lauri Õunapuu, Marju Varblane, Siim Sarv, Ülle Jantson, Sandra Sillamaa, Robert Jürjendal, Kadri Giannakaina Laube, Koidu Ahk, Tarmo Noormaa, Sille Ilves, Kulno Malva, Toomas Valk, Janne Tamm, Cätlin Jaago, Kati Soon, Tuulikki Bartosik, Astrid Böning, Kadri Lepasson.

Compiler: Sandra Sillamaa
Music engraving: Kalle Tamra
Language editing: Tiina Ervald and Piret Päär
Music was put on the CD by: Jan Kolton

Sponsors: The Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Viljandi Town Government, the Association of Local Authorities of Viljandi County, Männiku Forest Farm, Ecoprint, CD Lahendused, University of Tartu Viljandi Vulture Academy, Estonian Traditional Music Center
The music book will be distributed free of charge as a teaching material throughout Estonia, but the book is also available for purchase in the Estonian Traditional Music Center.

School for Young Musicians in Viljandi

2008-10-30

SCHOOL FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS established by University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy and August Pulst School offers a unique opportunity to develop your musical skills, broaden your horizons, and meet and play together with other young musicians from all over Estonia!
Everyone who is at least 16 years old and is good at playing an instrument is welcome!

Courses run on:

14-16 November 2008 (registration until November 7)
9-11 January 2009 (registration until January 2)
3-5 April 2009 (registration until March 27)

Additional information available at http://www.folk.ee/opistu/et/Kursused/NMK

Finno-Ugric itinerant exhibition

2008-10-29

Starting from October 15, it is possible to learn about the history and culture of different Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples in the Estonian Traditional Music Center. The exhibition is a nice supplement to the kinship theme which runs through October introduced by the Kinship Days - during that week, the programme of Estonian Traditional Music Center contains several movies about different nationalities and also the final concert of the Kinship Days.

The exhibition is comprised of photos accompanied by texts, most of which are taken from the photographic collection of the Estonian National Museum. Many of the photos are taken by the photographers and scientists from the Estonian National Museum, but some, especially the older photos, were acquired by exchange from Finland, Russia, Hungary, etc. Estonians are not represented at this photographic exhibition, because its aim is to introduce other Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples.

Today, the Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples are connected first and foremost through their kindred languages.The Uralic peoples are divided into groups based on their languages: speakers of Baltic-Finnic (Estonian, Votian, Livonian, Finnish, Izhorian, Karelian, Veps), Sami, Volga (Erzya, Moksha, Mari), Permian (Udmurt, Komi), Ugrian (Hungarian, Khant, Mansi) and Samoyed (Nenets, Enets, Nganasan, Selkup) languages. There are 23 million Finno-Ugric and Samoyed people in all.

The itinerant exhibition of the Estonian National Museum is open for visitors in the glass section of the Estonian Traditional Music Center until the end of October. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.

Photo: "A woman herding geese in front of a storehouse." Tatar ANSV, Agrõz district. Priit Härmas, 1980.

Harvest Festival

2008-10-07

Let's sum up the year - the folk music Harvest Festival 2008 invites you to Viljandi once again!

The two-day indoor festival gives an overview of what is happening on the folk music scene. 11 concerts and two workshops will be held on October 10-11 in the recently renovated Estonian Traditional Music Center.

The Harvest Festival surprises its audience with a green stage, where you can enjoy both beloved well-known musicians and young newcomers. Equally important to the „official" concerts are the jam sessions which can start anywhere - in the foyer of the Estonian Traditional Music Center, cafe or any other place where there is enough space to hold an instrument.

As customary to the Harvest Festival, all the ear-pleasing concerts are acoustic.

Free open sessions

2008-09-05

August Pulst School at the Traditional Music Center invites everyone to take part in free open sessions.

Everyone who wants to dance to live music, learn traditional songs, exchange stories, play instruments together with others or have fun with children is welcome.

These open sessions are held at the Traditional Music Center during evenings. Attending these sessions is free of charge thanks to the European Social Fund and its educational programme "Adult Education in Non-formal Education Centres". You can register on-site before the beginning of the session and take part in several sessions if you wish.

There are different sessions: dancing, singing, instrumental, family, and storytelling sessions. Additional information available at www.folk.ee/opistu

Traditional Music Center begins its first concert season

2008-08-28

The Traditional Music Center in the Castle Hills begins its first concert season in September and invites every music lover from all over Estonia to take part in it. Zetod, Vägilased, and Paabel perform at the opening concerts but many other talented musicians from both Estonia and abroad will hold concerts during the forthcoming months.

According to the producer Mari Kalkun, the opening season of the Traditional Music Center offers a wide spectrum of performers both from Estonia and abroad. "Our programme varies from minimalist and unprocessed traditional music to co-operational projects between musicians, and dancing parties with music from around the world," Kalkun explained and pointed out that one of the craziest projects is the performance of the Chilean troubadour Fernando Stern together with the tour of international itinerant musicians Ethno in Transit, which takes place on the 16th of September.

September at the Traditional Music Center is lively and full of energy, but October will be calmer, offering the visitors the chance to delve into Finno-Ugric music. Jouhiorkesteri, a band of Finnish talharpa players will give a concert and also Pastacas will come from Finland to visit us. Furthermore, the final concert of the Kinship Days, where different Finno-Ugric people introduce their folk songs and dances, will be a special treat for the fans of traditional music. In addition to that, the best musicians from this year's Viljandi Folk Music Festival will give an acoustic performance at the Lõikuspidu (Harvest Festival) which will take place on 10-11 October at the Traditional Music Center.

Viljandi Folk Music Festival had over 23 000 guests

2008-07-31

XVI Viljandi Folk Music Festival attracted over 23 000 traditional music friends to Viljandi within the four days of the Festival.

The largest audiences came, expectedly, on Saturday when about 12 000 people visited concerts, workshops and other Festival venues.

XVI Viljandi Folk Music Festival main program offered 74 concerts performed by 28 Estonian and 15 foreign ensembles. The most liked concerts according to ticket sales were given by Untsakad, Vägilased, Svjata Vatra, Zetod, Oort and Gjangsta from Estonia, and Flook from England, Tbilisi and Merani from Georgia, Paco Serrano from Spain and Fernando Stern and Alejandro Soto from Chile.

In addition to visiting the Festival concert venues it was also possible to watch live Internet transmission of the concerts on our website or on Elion DigiTV. There were 10 500 people enjoying the Festival over the Internet, 14 550 households participating in the Festival via Elion DigiTV which is a fourth of Elion DigiTV clients who have access to this particular Elion channel.

Viljandi Folk Music Festival is organized by Estonian Traditional Music Center together with more than 200 volunteers.

The next Viljandi Folk Music Festival takes place on July 23-26, 2009. This Festival was dedicated to plucked instruments, the theme of the Festival next year will be disclosed in September.

Estonian Traditional Music Center opened

2008-05-27

Estonian Traditional Music Center is now opened for everybody from 11 am to 11 pm.

Also is possible to eat and drink in a breathtaking caffeteria Kirstimäe Cafe (also opened from 11 am to 11 pm).