Uncategorized Archives | Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

Veeda Kala defens her doctoral thesis on 28 September at 12.30 room C-405 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Musicology):

“Achieving Text Intelligibility in Western Classical Singing: Prevailing Practices and Experiences of Professional Singers Article-Based Dissertation in Music Psychology”

Supervisor: Marju Raju, PhD
Opponent: Gláucia Laís Salomão, PhD (Stockholm University)

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

Abstract:

The text sung in the traditional Western classical style in operas are difficult for listeners to understand, even when sung in a language familiar to them. The reasons for this are still only partially understood. This doctoral dissertation, “Achieving Text Intelligibility in Western Classical Singing: Prevailing Practices and Experiences of Professional Singers”, provides a thorough insight into the perspective of singers practicing in Western classical style on the specific aspects of text intelligibility. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 professional singers across Europe and North America and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that being intelligible is important to singers and describe a wide variety of techniques to achieve it, although several contextual issues influence their perceived importance, the techniques used, and the final result. Additionally, achieving text intelligibility in opera could be facilitated by improved cooperation among all those who play a key role in opera production. The conclusions of the dissertation confirm the multiplicity of approaches within Western classical singing practice, map prevailing practices and suggest specific directions for future research and practical applications to address the issue of improving intelligibility in Western classical singing.

Keywords: text intelligibility, Western classical singing, opera, professional singers, interviews

The new academic year of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre begins on 31 August.

10:00 opening meeting of the academic year for the academy faculty and staff will be held at the Great Hall.
12:00 opening ceremony for new students at the Great Hall, followed by information sessions of different study areas.

In addition, we are inviting all our first-year students to take part in the orientation week, which will take place from 25 August to 28 August.

Answers to frequently asked questions can also be found in the International Students’ Guideline.

On 27 August at 13:00 in room D-511, Anu Veenre will defend her article-based thesis in pursuit of a Doctor of Philosophy (Musicology) degree:

„Eesti helilooming 1970. aastatel: stiilisuunad, retseptsioon ja institutsionaalne korraldus hilisnõukogude kontekstis” („Estonian Music in the 1970s: Stylistic Developments, Works’ Reception, and Institutional Organization of Professional Music in Late Soviet Context”).

Supervisor: Senior Researcher Anu Kõlar, PhD
Opponents: Senior Researcher Epp Annus, PhD (Tallinn University, School of Humanities) and Mart Jaanson, PhD

The doctoral thesis can be viewed HERE and will be available in print from 21 August at the EAMT library.

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is announcing additional admission for a small number of study places for the academic year 2026‒2027 in the following curricula:

Bachelor’s studies
Classical Music Performance – Strings
Classical Music Performance – Choral Conducting
Classical Music Performance (Brass, Woodwind and Percussion)
Jazz music (Bass)

Master’s studies
Classical Music Performance – Strings
Classical Music Performance – Choral Conducting
Classical Music Performance (Brass, Woodwind and Percussion)
Jazz music (Bass)

Applications can be submitted from 15 July until 10 August (5 p.m.) via DreamApply system (for the curricula in English).

Live entrance exams will be held on 17 August, more information HERE.

Jaak Sikk (PhD), Lecturer in Improvisation and Open Notation at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, has been elected to the Executive Board of YASAS (Young Academies Science Advice Structure).

YASAS brings together Young Academies across Europe and contributes independent, evidence-based scientific perspectives to European Union policymaking. Working alongside SAPEA and other academy networks, YASAS helps ensure that the knowledge and perspectives of early- and mid-career researchers are represented in science advice and decision-making processes at the highest European level.

According to Sikk, the new role provides an opportunity to represent the perspectives of improvisation, artistic research, and music interpretation within the European research landscape. “Addressing today’s complex societal challenges requires not only scientific excellence, but also interdisciplinary dialogue, openness to diverse ways of generating knowledge, and the ability to listen to and understand different perspectives. I am pleased to contribute to these values through my work in improvisation and artistic research,” said Sikk.

Through its involvement in European science advice activities, YASAS helps bring the perspectives of younger researchers into discussions that inform policymaking across Europe. High-quality scientific advice can influence decisions affecting hundreds of millions of people.

Jaak Sikk is a member of the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on improvisation, artistic research, self-determination, listening, and collaborative processes in conditions of uncertainty and change.

Yesterday, on 1 June, at the ceremony celebrating Italy’s National Day, held at the Estonian Concert Hall, Head of the Department of Composition and Improvisational Music Paolo Girol, was awarded the prestigious Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy). The order is bestowed by the President of the Republic of Italy, upon the recommendation of the Italian Embassy in Tallinn and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This honour, traditionally conferred upon individuals who contribute to the preservation of national prestige abroad, the strengthening of friendly relations and cooperation with other countries, and the promotion of ties with Italy, recognises Paolo’s decades of fostering educational and cultural exchanges between Italy and Estonia, as well as his role as an ambassador of Italy’s higher artistic and musical education system.

As Italy marks its 80th Republic Day today, on 2 June, Paolo’s recognition stands as a testament to the enduring cultural ties between the two countries and to the role of culture in building bridges between nations.

Congratulations!

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is pleased to announce the international symposium Territories of Negotiation: Exploring Trends in Interdisciplinary Improvisation (IMPACT). The event will take place in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, 11–13 February 2027.

This symposium aims to offer comprehensive perspectives from a diverse range of disciplines that engage with improvisation as an art form, a method of creation, or an object of research. IMPACT 2027 explores the concept of negotiation as a central condition of improvisation and interdisciplinary practice. Encounters between different disciplines may generate collaboration, negotiation, tension, misunderstanding, transformation, and illumination.

Contributions are invited that explore how artistic work and knowledge are shaped through and by spontaneity. IMPACT 2027 is concerned not only with successful exchange but also with friction, discomfort, limits, asymmetries, and the structures that make shared practice and knowledge possible.

IMPACT is a symposium organized between three partner institutions: the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater, the School of Music and Performing Arts ESMAE and Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Additional information HERE.

Karl Saks defens his doctoral thesis on 15 June at 13.00 room A-402 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Theatre):

„Sound Design Practice in Postdramatic Theatre”

Supervisors: Jaak Tomberg, PhD (University of Tartu); prof. emer. Jaan Ross (05.04.1957–18.01.2026)

Opponent: Prof Dr. Virve Sarapik (Estonian Academy of Arts)

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

Fragment from the Summary:

In my artistic research entitled “Sound Design Practice in Postdramatic Theatre”, I examined the possibilities and functioning of sound design in the process and structure of postdramatic theatre. The aim of the research is to analyse how sound design can participate in shaping a performance process and structure, and how sound can function as an active dramaturgical component in the context of postdramatic theatre. The work centres on sound as argument, signifier, provocation, code, and a temporal factor.
I write this research from the perspective of my own artistic practice, in which the practices of sound design, directing, choreography and performing arts pedagogy are intertwined. From this position, I have been interested in where sound design choices come from, how sonic information functions within visually saturated theatrical forms, and which concepts and contexts can be used to describe and analyse its operation. One central problem is the limited vocabulary of sound design: in practice, sound is often described through technical parameters or general evaluative terms that do not sufficiently describe its phenomenological effect, dramaturgical function, or relation to the performance as a whole. Alongside this, another paradox of sound design practice in theatre is that many sound-related decisions are shaped by what the eye sees rather than by what the ear hears. The search for answers to these problems and paradoxes, together with the need to develop my own practice, formed the driving force of this research.

Every May, Diversity Month is celebrated in Estonia and across Europe to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in our work and learning environments. Today, May 13, we are celebrating Diversity Day.

Estonia’s six public universities — University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the Estonian Academy of Arts — together with the Estonian Research Council (ETAg), have organised a joint Diversity Week each year in May. This year, we are not holding a separate event, but we warmly invite you to explore the rich materials from the past two years.

2025 “Dare to Act” — the focus was on building a culture of intervention: why and how to respond to bullying, harassment, and unequal treatment in university settings. Materials include:

All 2025 recordings are available on the ETAG YouTube channel.

2024 “Diverse Estonian Universities” — the week featured a joint video address by university rectors, a panel discussion on diversity in academia, and daily short lectures covering topics from cultural diversity to discrimination based on appearance.

All 2024 recordings are available on Estonia’s gender equality and equal treatment commissioner’s YouTube channel.

All materials are also gathered on the ETAg website: etag.ee/teaduskultuur/sooloime/mitmekesisuse-nadal

University of Tartu · TalTech · Tallinn University · Estonian University of Life Sciences · Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre · Estonian Academy of Arts · Estonian Research Council

The elections to the Student Council of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre will take place 5–17 May.

You can get to know the candidates and vote HERE.

Now it’s your turn to decide:

who represents the students?
whose ideas will be implemented?

Why vote?

you help decide, who stands for the interests of students;
you support ideas and changes that matter to you;
you help shape a better student experience at EAMT;
an Apollo gift card will be raffled among voters.

Additional information: yesindus@eamt.ee

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