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The first study visit of the NAWA project takes place this week, 20 – 26 October 2019 with 6 students of the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw visiting the Estonian Academy of Music and participating in individual and group lessons as well as lectures about Estonian music.
The group includes students of music interpretation and composition: Aleksandra Dudycz (choral conducting), Christian Bild (singing), Michał Michalski (piano), Mateusz Winsław (composition), Dominik Kozłowski (orchestra conducting), Bogumiła Jedrysiak (oboe).
The study visit is financed by NAWA (Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) in frames of the International Academic Partnerships Programme.
Project partners:
The Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland (coordinator)
Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Georgia
Mykola Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy, Ukraine
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, opened the newest concert and performance centre in Estonia today; it features a concert hall accommodating 482 people, a black box theatre with 130 seats for actors and jazz musicians, and 21 new classrooms. The state-of-the-art building which cost approximately 12 million euros took one and a half years to construct.
Tonight, President Kersti Kaljulaid and Professor Ivari Ilja, rector of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT), cut the ribbon on the stage of the newly erected concert hall and declared the new building open. The solemn ceremony was followed by the opening concert, featuring, among other pieces, the performance of Tõnu Kõrvits’s latest work “Ta kõneleb vaikselt” for the first time ever, followed by the programme “Kummardus alustajatele” prepared by the Department of Drama especially for the opening event.
At the opening of the new building today, President Kersti Kaljulaid said that the self-identification of Estonian people has always incorporated a desire to build bridges between freedom and creative self-expression. “Today, too, music and theatre mean much more for our nation than merely fine arts. This is illustrated by the abundance of concerts, festivals and premiering plays as well as the astonishing demand for theatre and concert tickets. This is a natural part of our mentality and nervous system, which is largely based on the foundation this academy has traditionally been building and will keep building,” President Kaljulaid said, adding that all of the above also arouses high expectations for the academy here in Estonia and internationally. “In order for us to remain free and open to the world so that it can still be our invaluable art that the world knows Estonia by.”
Professor Ivari Ilja, rector of the EAMT, says the new concert and performance centre is the best possible birthday present the academy could have received for its 100th anniversary. “Now our students will be able to have a taste of their future lives as creators and practice on big stages here already during their studies,” Professor Ilja noted. “The concert and performance centre will undoubtedly raise the standard of music and theatre education in Estonia and boost the competitive ability of our graduates internationally. Wider music and theatre audience will also certainly find a number of reasons to come to the new building as the schedule of public concerts and performances to be held in the newly completed halls is already rather tight. In addition to the academy’s students, these stages will see famous musicians, directors and actors from Estonia and beyond.”
At the heart of the 6,000 square metre concert and performance facility, there is a concert hall through four floors with 482 seats, which will be ideal for classical performances as well as other styles of music. The audience can enter the concert hall with two galleries through the main building of the academy and also from Sakala and Tatari streets, so it can be flexibly used for studies and as a public event venue. There is no other concert hall in Tallinn at the moment that would accommodate almost half a thousand people, so the new building is filling this niche.
The black box with 130 seats was constructed through three floors and will be used by drama students and jazz musicians. The five-storey building with a basement floor also houses 21 classrooms, including a multimedia centre and a jazz classroom. There is access to the main building of the academy from all the floors of the concert and performance centre.
The EAMT’s concert and performance centre was designed by AS Resand. The architects were Toivo Tammik and Mart Rõuk from the architectural firm Ansambel and Kalvi Voolaid. The author of the interior architectural solution of the halls is Aivar Oja from FraDisain OÜ, and the acoustic design was created by Linda Madalik in collaboration with the Danish acoustics agency Gade&Mortensen Akustik. The general contractor for the construction was Nordlin Ehitus AS, and the site supervision on the part of the owner was performed by Tallinna Linnaehituse AS.
The construction of the new concert and performance centre was financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
The concert and performance centre of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in fact and figures
General:
– net floor area of approximately 6,000 m2
– five floors plus the basement floor
– 21 classrooms
– large concert hall
– black box
– offices and utility rooms
– multimedia centre
Main concert hall:
– number of seats 482
– stage area 180 m2
– orchestra pit 48 m2
– stalls 270 m2
– reverberation (T60) 1–2.2 seconds
– reverberation with the curtains 1.5 seconds
Black box:
– number of seats up to 130
– area 180 m2
- The principal design element in the light-coloured interior solution of the hall is the wave motif. Wavy wall panels run horizontally, and this is how sound moves. Interior architect Aivar Oja says that the wave image can be interpreted as a sound wave, sea wave or sand dune.
- What was avoided in the design of the hall is the use of numerous spotlights; instead, lighting is provided with colour-changing LED lights installed in the walls.
- The author of the acoustic design of the building is the country’s most prominent acoustics specialist Linda Madalik, whose primary task was to ensure that the concert hall provides excellent sound. She supervised the creation of a unique acoustic cloud over the stage for performers to able to hear one another better on stage. The designers of the concert hall spared no effort to make sure that the wavy panels on the walls fully met strict acoustic requirements. After lengthy analyses and testing, the panels were manufactured from Komi birch, which grows in tundra and is known for high wood density, by Supra Mööbel OÜ from Sõmeru.
- A special decorative feature of the EAMT’s new building is the stained-glass panel “The First Language”, which spans through several floors. It was created by glass artist Maret Sarapu, who says music can be acquired like one’s mother tongue, picked up in the process of communication from speakers of varying skills with varying vocabulary.
- In addition, there is an area for art displays in the lobby of the new concert and performance centre. The first exposition to be exhibited there is Enno Hallek’s “Da capo al fine”, curated by Harry Liivrand.
- Many of the concerts and plays in the new concert and performance centre will be free for audience. Information about upcoming events is available at www.emtasaalid.ee
The official admission period for Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre concluded on July 1st. EAMT received 375 applications out of which 228 student candidates were admitted.
In Bachelor’s studies, 167 applications were submitted, 48 of which for the curricula in English. EAMT admitted 103, 80 for the Estonian and 23 for English curricula.
In Master’s studies, EAMT received 182 applications, 99 of which for the curricula in English. EAMT admitted 117 candidates, 65 for the Estonian and 52 for the English curricula.
In doctoral studies, 26 applications were received, 13 of them by foreign candidates. EAMT accepted 8.
Margus Pärtlas, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Research explained: „The most popular fields of study were classical singing, composition, electronic music, sound engineering, string instruments, dramatic art and pedagogy. The interest of the foreign students towards EAMT continues to be high, especially on the Master’s level. On the other hand, we are proud to note that the number of Estonian admitted candidates on the Bachelor’s level was higher than in 2018.“
Admission to the new international Master’s programme called Conteporary Physical Performance Making was successful gaining 36 applicants. The first Master’s course of it’s kind in the performative arts field, CPPM takes postgraduate education out of the classroom and puts practical experience with world-leading makers of performance at the heart of the learning process. The students work alongside some of the most exciting directors, choreographers, performance artists and performers to further one’s own creative practice through active collaboration, devising and performance.
As for the the new foreign students, the geographic variety of the sending countries is wide, ranging from Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan to the new world (Australia, USA, Costa Rica, Mexico) and Europe: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Croatia, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus and Russia.
The 2019 graduation concert-ceremony of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre will be held on June 20th 4pm at the Estonia Concert Hall.
Concert by this year’s graduates Linda Kanter (vocal), Raiko Raalik (bass), Karl Tipp (saxophone), Eve Neumann (saxophone), Vlady Bystrov (saxophone) ja Jekaterina Semenova (accordion), Eeva-Maria Laas (violin), Sandra Klimaitė (viola), Piret Mikalai (piano).
EAMT Symphony Orchestra, conductor Andres Kaljuste, conductor Imre Rohuväli.
Works by Bajetta, Ibert, Bruch, Verdi, Prokofjev and others.
Invitations to the concert-ceremony for graduates and teaching staff are available at the rectorate (room A-202).
Tickets are available on Piletilevi and at the door one hour prior to ceremony.
A new concert series „Crossing Cultures“, focusing on the foreign students of EAMT, was kicked off last Sunday. Each concert in the series will be devoted to one country and its students studying at EAMT, who will perform alongside the Estonian students.
„Our foreign students come from many different countries and the main idea of the new series is to dedicate each concert to one of those countries. Enabling the foreign students to perform together with their Estonian colleagues, we enable an exchange not only in a form of musical collaboration, but in terms of a cultural exchange in a wider sense. Namely, each concert will include also an oral introduction to the culture of the country in the spotlight“, explains Henry-David Varema, Vice-Rector for Artistic Affairs and International Relations. For instance, in the first concert that was dedicated to South-Korea and featured performances by South-Korean and Estonian students, and alumni of EAMT, the overview on the country’s culture was given by Jason Mario Dydynski, doctoral student of semiotics and cultural theories of University of Tartu.
The countries featured during the next season are Finland, Latvia, Spain and China. „It’s quite common not to know too much about the cultural heritage and background of our foreign colleagues. Thus, the new concert series will hopefully not only help to bring closer the students, academic staff and audience of EAMT, but perhaps also helps to disprove different and unfortunately still widespread myths regarding the foreign students,“ Varema adds.
Elections for the appointment of 12 members of academic staff were held on on Wednesday 15 May 2019 and the following staff were declared elected:
Department of Classical Music Performance
senior lecturer of piano (workload 1,0)
Sten Lassmann
professor of choral conducting (workload 0,5)
Hirvo Surva
lecturer of chamber music (workload 0,5)
Mari Poll-Novakovic
lecturer – pianist-accompanist for strings (workload 1,0)
Ralf Taal
teacher – pianist-accompanist for strings (workload 0,5) (2 positions)
Thea Nestor
Reet Ruubel
teacher – pianist-accompanist for winds (workload 0,5) (2 positions)
Meeli Ots
Anneli Tohver
Department of Composition and Improvisational Performing Arts
senior lecturer of contemporary interpretation (workload 1,0)
Taavi Kerikmäe
lecturer of audiovisual composition (workload 0,5)
Einike Leppik
Department of drama
professor of performing arts (workload 1,0)
Anu Lamp
senior lecturer of Alexander technique (workload 0,5)
Maret Tormis
The registry for the international musicology conference “Urban and Court Culture in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region” which will take place from 2 to 3 May 2019 is still open!
The conference aims to explore urban and court culture, along with their interrelations in the Baltic Sea region in the early modern period. The programme covers diverse aspects of music and written culture, and further seeks to place individual perspectives in the related contexts (e.g. the social position of a person in the service of a city or within a court; the artistic and personal decisions one had to make; daily life and environment of a person).
The keynote speaker of the conference is renowned German researcher of the early opera, Silke Leopold, who will deliver her speech “Opera in Europe around 1680: A Panorama of Dramaturgies, Languages and Styles” on 2 May at 10.15. Among the others, the presentation “Unbekannte Spuren von Johann Valentin Meders Notensammlung” by the Director of the Leipzig Bach Archive, Peter Wollny, deserves a special mention. You can read more on the conference here and get acquainted with the full programme here. The presentations are held in German and English.
The conference is above all meant for the PhD students of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, University of Tartu, Tallinn University and Estonian Academy of Arts, but all the other professionals from the field of musicology are welcome, too. Participation for everyone is free of charge and you can register by 24 April latest here.
The conference is organized by the Musicology Study Area of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in collaboration with the Estonian Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts.
On 18 and 30 April the title roles of „Le Nozze di Figaro“ by W.A. Mozart will be sung by the young singers of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
The opera is directed by Marco Gandini (Italy) and was premiered at the Estonian National Opera already in 2017. Ene Rindesalu, Head of the EAMT Opera Studio, reveals that „the collaboration with the National Opera which began as early as in 1989, has provided our students with professional skills and opportunities that are unquestionably useful for their careers in the future. Working with the professional orchestra and conductor, developing the roles in close collaboration with the stage director and choreographer, the experience of the dress rehearsals in costumes and make up, and finally the performances with the audience turn the whole process very real. Not to mention the special atmosphere of the opera house… A wonderful experience for everyone, no doubt!“
„Le Nozze di Figaro“ follows the Almaviva household through a single turbulent day. The cast under the baton of Arvo Volmer is following: Raiko Raalik or Žilvinas Steponas Miškinis (Figaro), Siiri Johanson or Kadri Kõrvek (Susanna), Silja Maria Sevonkari or Ille Saar (la Contessa), Janari Jorro (il Conte), Elo-Maarja Trumm or Karis Trass (Cherubino), Jurģis Marcinkevičs (Bartolo), Mehis Tiits (Basilio), Merilin Taul or Merje Uppin (Marcellina), Merit Kraav or Kristine Žogota (Barbarina), Erki Lillemets (Antonio) and Hyun Woo Lee (Don Curzio).
Read more on „Le Nozze di Figaro“ on the homepage of the Estonian National Opera.
Tickets available at Piletimaailm.
For the first time, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre has made it to the QS World University Rankings, which is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world.
EAMT, being the only music university from Baltic states on the QS list, is currently holding the position no 51-100 in the category of performing arts among such reputable music academies as Cologne, Leipzig and Munich (Germany), F. Liszt Music Academy (Hungary) and the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg (Denmark).
The top performing arts institutions in 2019 are the The Julliard School (USA) and Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (Austria) followed by the Royal College of Music (UK), Royal Academy of Music and Curtis Institute of Music (USA). Sibelius Academy/University of Arts Helsinki (Finland), ranked as 6th in 2018, is currently holding the 12th position.
The QS Rankings are released every year and provide lists of universities based on surveys, diversity, and much more. It is monitored by both partners and students to learn about the nature and capability of universities.
The full list of performing arts universities is available here.
Starting in 2019, the Ministry of Culture will award the Artur Lemba Scholarship to university students majoring in composition, piano performance or musicology, and to students researching the life and work of Estonian pianist and composer Artur Lemba.
Artur Lemba (1885-1963) was one of Estonia’s most celebrated composers, pianists and music pedagogues. Both his opera “Sabina” (1905) and Symphony No. 1 (1908) were the first works of their respective genres written by an Estonian.
The scholarship will be funded by royalties collected from performances of Artur Lemba’s music. According to the current copyright laws, royalties entrusted to the state are managed by the Ministry of Culture, as is the case with those of Artur Lemba. The scholarship is intended for students whose major field of study reflects the life work of Artur Lemba.
The size of the scholarship is 2000 euros.
The selection committee will comprise of representatives of the following institutions: the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Estonian Composers Union, the Estonian Association of Professional Musicians, the Museum of Estonian History and the Ministry of Culture.
Application Guidelines
The Artur Lemba Scholarship is available to full-time university students whose major field of study is in composition, piano performance or musicology, and who, upon graduation, will receive an official state diploma.
The selection committee will make their decision based on the applicant’s past achievements, the projected use of the scholarship funds, the applicant’s letter of motivation and his/her academic results.
Application Requirements
- A letter of intent which includes the applicant’s contact information, signed either digitally or physically
- A summary of the academic and creative work of the applicant
- A letter of motivation, which introduces the academic and creative goals of the applicant as well as the planned use of the funds
- A letter of recommendation (recommended, but not compulsory)
The application may be sent either electronically to min@kul.ee or by regular post to Suur-Karja 23, Tallinn by January 31, 2019. Should any additional information be required, please contact Madli-Liis Parts (madli-liis.parts@kul.ee or 5620 1108).