Uncategorized Archives | Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

For the twelfth time, the conference of the 3rd-year doctoral students of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre will take place in March.

On 18 March at 11:30, doctoral students in artistic research Peeter Margus, Ekke Västrik and Valle-Rasmus Roots and doctoral student in musicology Veeda Kala will give presentations (in English) in Tower Hall D-511. The doctoral students from the Sibelius Academy (University of the Arts Helsinki) will be represented by Jenna Ristilä, Orest Smovzh and Marc Sabat, and the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music by Platon Buravicky. The conference will be closed by Diāna Zandberga, Vice Rector for Research and Creative Work at the same institution.

See the programme here.

The organisers of the conference are 2nd year doctoral students at EAMT.

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Estonian Music Council jointly submitted an opinion with comments on the heritage impact assessment for the expansion of the National Opera Estonia commissioned by the Estonian Heritage Board. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to take the comments into account, but they will be added as a separate opinion to the impact assessment.

You can view the document here.

From 3 to 5 April the Estonian Academy for Music and Theatre (EAMT) will host the international community of artistic researchers at the European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) conference, which is expected to welcome around 200 participants. EPARM is a sub-organisation of the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), that promotes artistic research at the higher education level.

This year’s conference focuses on new interactions between different musical fields (electronic music and early music), the ethical aspects of research, audience engagement, and more.

EAMT’s artistic researchers will present at the conference through lecturers and at a concert on 3 April at 19:00.

More information.

CoPeCo is a two-year joint master’s programme and an open platform for experimental artistic practice within a European setting. The consortium includes the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse in Lyon, and the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre. The students will spend each of the four semesters in a different institution, moving from one to the other as a group.

CoPeCo is aimed at composers, contemporary music performers, electronic musicians, sound artists, as well as those who may not fit precisely within these categories. One of the programme’s advantages is its flexibility in adapting to each student’s specific needs and interests.

CoPeCo supports and promotes contemporary musical expression in all its aspects, including creation, production, performance, and the relationship between musicians and society. We place a strong emphasis on improvisation and music technology and provide fundamental knowledge in cultural management and music analysis. Various workshops are conducted in collaboration with professionals from theater, dance, or film. CoPeCo serves as an excellent international launch platform for young creatives.

The CoPeCo programme co-director is Taavi Kerikmäe, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Music.

Applications for the Contemporary Performance and Composition (CoPeCo) master’s programme can be submitted via DreamApply until 31 January 2025.

Additional info: CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE AND COMPOSITION

Starting today, 15 January 2025, applications can be submitted for the international joint programme offered by the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) and Estonian Business School (EBS).

The Master’s programme in Cultural Management is designed for those who wish to enhance their professional skills in the arts and cultural sector and lead projects that bring people and ideas together. Students will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully manage diverse cultural projects in a rapidly changing world.

The programme is student-centered and practice-oriented, featuring leading experts from across Europe, including Estonia, Finland, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, and beyond. Graduates will receive diplomas from both universities.

Our alumni are actively shaping the cultural and creative industries, working in both the public and private sectors, including government organizations, universities, theatres, museums, NGOs, foundations, and private companies. An impressive 98% of our graduates are employed within the cultural and creative sectors.

The goal of the Cultural Management Master’s programme is to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel as professionals in the cultural sector in a dynamic global landscape.

The admission period is from 15 January to 28 April 2025.
Applications can be submitted via DreamApply.

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre offers seven scholarships to students with outstanding academic achievements and social engagement, with awards in the first academic year based on admission rankings and results. Learn more here.

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is accepting applications for English curricula starting today, 15 January 2025.

Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

Applicants can apply for seven specializations at the Bachelor’s level:

Master’s Degree Programmes
Nine specializations are available for Master’s studies:

Application Deadlines

Doctoral Studies: 9 May 2025
Master’s Degree in Cultural Management: 28 April 2025
Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs (English-taught curricula): 2 June 2025

The admission period ends on 1 July 2025.

Applications can be submitted through the DreamApply portal.

For more information, visit Academy’s website.

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) is pleased to announce the third annual Composition Competition. The competition is open to all EAMT students, regardless of their field of study.

Competition Details:
Participants are invited to submit compositions meeting the following criteria:
– Duration: 7–10 minutes
– Instrumentation: fc (picc+afl), cl (bcl), violin or viola, vcl, piano.

Submission Deadline:
– Date: April 14, 2025
– Time: 23:59
– Submission Address: emtahk@eamt.ee
– Compositions must include the score and individual parts. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Jury Members:
1) Toivo Tulev, Helena Tulve, Tõnu Kõrvits, Rene Eespere, Liisa Hirsch, Fractales ensemble;
2) Toivo Tulev, Helena Tulve, Tõnu Kõrvits, Rene Eespere ja Liisa Hirsch.

Prizes:
1. First Prize: Diploma and €400
2. Second Prize: Diploma and €200
3. Third Prize: Diploma and €100
4. Fourth and Fifth Prizes: Diploma

Competition Regulations:
1. The competition is open to all EAMT bachelor’s and master’s students.
2. Each composer may submit one composition, which must not have been
previously published, performed, recorded or broadcast.
3. Submissions must include a short biography of the composer.
4. The composition must adhere to the specified instrumentation and duration.
5. The composer’s name must not appear on the score or parts to ensure
anonymous evaluation.
6. The jury will first select five compositions for performance and live recording
during a concert on May 16, 2025, at EAMT main hall.
7. During the concert intermission, the jury will choose three winning compositions to
receive the main prizes.
8. Recordings of the selected works will be shared with the composers, and the three
winning pieces will be published on EAMT YouTube channel.

Contact: For inquiries, please email emtahk@eamt.ee.

III EAMT Composition Competition organized in collaboration with Ensemble Fractales.

Fabrizio Nastari defends his doctoral thesis on 20 December at 14:30 room A-402 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music):

“Borrowing Existing Material, and Irony: Compositional Strategies and their Aesthetic Context”

Supervisor: prof Jaan Ross

Opponent: Riikka Maria Talvitie, DocMus (Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy and Theatre Academy)

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Abstract:

The thesis “Borrowing Existing Material, and Irony: Compositional Strategies and their Aesthetic
Context” (“Olemasoleva muusikalise materjali korduskasutamine ning iroonia:
kompositsioonistrateegiad ja nende esteetiline taust”) is part of a creative research doctoral project
and it investigates the compositional process of creating new music by borrowing existing musical
material to fulfill a personal ironic intent. The studies on borrowing actions show how the selection
and use of existing musical material has a deeper meaning than just inspiration to a tradition or style.
In this thesis, the concept of irony triggers and gives meaning to such actions, expressing a personal
vision of the world. The aim of this research is to show how I developed a structured approach that
satisfies a technical and an aesthetic need at the same time. How can composers effectively borrow
existing musical material to satisfy personal aesthetic goals?
The autoethnographic approach led an introspective reflection on personal artistic interests,
experiences, and compositional processes, aiming to gain deeper self-awareness and insight into the
creative decision-making process. Furthermore, following the Information Theory, the thesis
addresses the description of the creative process by dividing semantic information and aesthetic
information. Thus, the research reports how the composition process involves selected musical
conventions (melody and musical form), the borrowing actions (quotation and allusion),
compositional strategies (recontextualization and modification), and eventually how the music
created incorporates the element of irony, which remains a personal artistic and aesthetic choice.
Reflecting on the outcomes of the research, the study underscores the importance of introspection and
self-awareness in the compositional process. By critically examining personal interests and creative
impulses, composers can cultivate a deeper understanding of their artistic identity and refine their
compositional approach. Finally, the insights gained from this research have potential applications in
pedagogy, as exemplified by the development of the “Composing with 14th Century Technique”
course at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Meeta Vardja defends her doctoral thesis on 19 December at 14:30 room A-402 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music):

„Tallinna Riikliku Konservatooriumi muusikateaduse kateeder aastatel 1944–1968“

Supervisor: Anu Kõlar, PhD

Opponents: prof Tõnu-Andrus Tannberg (Tartu University) and Maris Kirme, PhD

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Part of Summary:

Musicology was established as an independent academic discipline in Estonia after the

Second World War under the Soviet regime. The Faculty of Musicology (muusikateaduse

kateeder) was established in 1944 at the Tallinn State Conservatoire (Tallinna Riiklik

Konservatoorium), following the common practice in the Soviet Union of teaching this

discipline at conservatoires, in contrast to the Western tradition, where musicology has

typically been associated with universities. The new academic discipline had to develop

within the confines of an imposed foreign ideology, where the research directions,

methodological approaches, and professional tasks for musicologists were suddenly defined

by the model established in Soviet musicology in the 1930s. The strong influence of the

Soviet regime on musicology in Estonia and other countries with a similar fate can be seen

even in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. To a certain extent, traces of

the Soviet legacy can still be observed in the musicology of the former Soviet republics

today.

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the birth and development of Estonian academic

musicology from 1944 to 1968, taking into account the social and political context that

surrounded the emerging discipline. The focus of the study is the Faculty of Musicology at

the Tallinn State Conservatoire as the central institution for musicology in Estonia during

this period. The dissertation has two objectives: 1) to provide a detailed and comprehensive

overview of the history and activities of the Faculty of Musicology, as academic reflection

on the discipline’s development has so far been lacking; and 2) to analyse the influence of

Soviet musicology and ideology, and how it manifested in Estonian academic musicology.

The study employs the approaches of structural history of music and disciplinary history,

primarily using source criticism, comparative methodology, and biographical approach as

the key research methods

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