The Cultural Management MA programme at EAMT is continuing its monthly open morning seminar series, held on Fridays in an informal, coffee-scented atmosphere. Each session features an experienced cultural manager invited to share their professional journey and insights.
Our guest at the upcoming meeting on 20 November, from 9:00 to 10:00 in room A-207, will be Saale Fischer, General Manager of the Estonian National Male Choir and Artistic Director of the Haapsalu Early Music Festival.
Saale graduated from Tallinn University of Technology before making a career change into the world of early music. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Harpsichord Performance from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and a Master’s degree in Historical Keyboard Instruments from the Trossingen University of Music in Germany. In 2020, she completed her doctoral degree at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
In recent years, Fischer’s professional activities have encompassed performance, writing, and arts management in equal measure. Since 2014, she has initiated numerous collaborations with Estonian and international vocal and instrumental soloists through her ensemble Floridante. Her repertoire, both as a soloist and accompanist, ranges from Renaissance music and arrangements of folk songs to premieres of contemporary works.
Fischer has taught for several years at early music summer courses organised under the auspices of the Old Town Educational College (VHK). She has also given lectures and lecture-recitals on early music performance practice in Estonia, Lithuania, Italy, Romania, and the United States. In 2023, she produced a children’s radio programme on early music for the Estonian classical music station Klassikaraadio as part of its series Hea on teada. Her reviews, articles, and interviews have appeared in all major Estonian cultural publications. She is also the author and publisher of the book “Hortus Musicus. Viiskümmend” (“Hortus Musicus: Fifty”).
Since 2019, Fischer has served as Executive Director of the Haapsalu Early Music Festival, additionally taking on the role of Artistic Director in 2025. In 2022, she worked as a guest producer for Eesti Kontsert and as a consultant for the Hortus Musicus anniversary exhibition. In 2023, she contributed as an expert to the Monteverdi Mosaik project, involving five European higher music education institutions. Since autumn 2024, she has also served as General Manager of the Estonian National Male Choir.
In 2025, Saale Fischer was nominated for an award from the Music Endowment of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the field of early music.
All those interested – students and faculty alike, regardless of their field of study – are warmly welcome to join! The seminar will be held in English.