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The 2020 graduation ceremony of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater will take place on Saturday, July 18 at 16:00 at the Great Hall of EAMT. The ceremony will also mark the end of the jubilee year of the academy.

The health crisis has, fortunately, not affected graduation numbers. 86 bachelor’s, 85 master’s and four doctoral diplomas will be awarded at the ceremony, which corresponds to the average level of recent years. The 2020 graduation ceremony will take place without the EAMT symphony orchestra. However, this will not diminish the festive significance of the concert, which will feature many of our gifted graduates.

• At the event, we must follow the government’s instructions, which stipulate that public events taking place from 15.07.2020 still need to adhere to the 50% occupancy requirement indoors.

• Admission to the graduation ceremony event will be by invitation only. Registered graduates, faculty and staff, will receive a ticket with a designated seat by email.

• The concert programme and webcast link can be found here: https://emtasaalid.ee/uritused/emta-2020-aasta-lopetajate-kontsert-aktus/. We shall also share information about the live broadcast on Facebook.

At the end of the graduation ceremony, participants are asked to move outdoors through the lobby and main entrance of the building. There will be no congratulating of graduates by friends and relatives indoors. Weather permitting, group photos with fellow students and teachers may be taken outdoors afterwards.

After the gradual easing of the safety measures established to prevent the spread of the virus, teaching and other activities at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater will continue to a limited extent and under special conditions.

From June 1, the main building of the academy will be open daily from 9:00 to 21:00. The building can be accessed only through the main entrance with a personalised magnetic card. For the time being, the door remains closed to guests and access to the building is only possible by prior arrangement.

The EAMT library is open from June 1 (Mon – Fri 9–19, Sat 10–15) and it is possible to return items as well as borrow new ones. The computer class is still closed, but it is possible to book computer access for an hour. To enter the library, the guest needs to call the library number at the door. More detailed information about the library’s activities and security arrangements can soon be found on the library’s webpage.

In subjects where the content and learning styles allow, teaching continues from a distance. However, in specialties and subjects where distance learning is difficult or impossible, a limited number of individual and group lessons are scheduled. All safety rules and hygiene requirements are followed. Maximum of 10 people are allowed to be in the same room at once. The rooms are ventilated and cleaned systematically.

There will be no public events at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in June.

This year’s consultations for applicants for doctoral studies in music and theatrical arts at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre will be held via video. 

The consultations with regard to the preparation of research projects will be held on

May 4 at 11.00 via ZOOM

Please register by May 3 by e-mail: margit.vosa@eamt.ee

Due to the current state of emergency in reaction to the COVID-19 virus that does not permit international traveling, all international study applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an original video recording of a performance as a substitute for a live audition.

The video can be submitted from April to May (no specific date) to EAMT’s admission secretary (Margit Võsa, margit@eamt.ee), who will also assist in case of subject-specific consultation need and answers any questions about the admission procedures.

Today, March 30th the senate of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre gathered via video to discuss the possible scenarios on how to continue academic activities under special circumstances and decided to change the academic calendar of the 2019/2020 school year.

The senate decided to postpone the end of the semester by four weeks (July 19th) by declaring an extraordinary study break for four weeks from April 6th until May 3rd. The graduation ceremony this year is planned to take place on 4PM July 18th in the great hall of the EAMT concert and performance centre.

Upon making the decisions the senate took into account the progress of the global situation, current experiences in distance learning and the specifics of the subjects taught at the academy. “Distance learning is officially established in all universities and thanks to the openness of students as well as the adaptability and creativity of many teaching staff members, has been successfully set up at the academy, too. However, with many subjects, especially subjects that carry a highly practical approach, unexpected distance learning practices are not very effective, if not impossible to carry out successfully,” explains Margus Pärtlas, the Vice Rector of Academic Affairs and Research.

“At the moment we can’t be sure how long these circumstances under the national emergency situation will continue, but if we want to obtain the quality of the studies, we need to make decisions regarding the rest of the school year right now,” Pärtlas adds.

The senate of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is an academic governance organ that is responsible for research, development, creative and academic activities at the academy. The chairman of the senate is the rector of the academy and the senate consists of members of the rectorate, heads of different academic fields and managerial units, as well as student representatives.

I Tampere Flute Fest will take place in April 25–26. The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre flutists Anete Vinkel and Iida-Annikki Helanterä from Mihkel Peäske’s class made it to the festival competition’s finals. 

The competition finals will be held through video broadcasts.

Tampere Flute Fest aims to liven-up the culture of flute-playing by offering students the opportunity to partake in masterclasses, concerts of world-renowned flutists and display their skills at the competition.

The Government of the Republic of Estonia has declared the state of national emergency on March 12th. Due to that, the premises of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre are closed from March 16th. Academic and other activities will continue from a distance. 

Based on the governmental decision and the guidelines received from the Ministry of Education and Research, the EAMT Rectorate decided:

– The buildings of EAMT will be closed from Monday, March 16th, for two weeks, until March 29.  No teaching, events, practice, research work, administrative work or any other activity will take place at the premises of EAMT. Buildings cannot be accessed with a door card either.

/ EDIT (March 26): Based on the governmental decision and the guidelines received from the Ministry of Education and Research, the premises of the EAMT WILL REMAIN CLOSED, until stated otherwise / 

– Academic activities are planned to continue from a distance via online systems. Optimal solutions will be found between the management and the teaching staff taking into account the specifics of educational activities at EAMT. In areas where distance learning is currently not possible (especially individual lessons), the academy aspires to assure that these lessons are realized later on. In questions regarding general information or studies, the students are advised to contact their teachers or study registrar.

– EAMT’s staff will continue to work from home offices and are available to contact via email.

– Today and over the weekend you can still enter the building. All staff and students who have things that they need in the coming weeks are asked to take them before Monday.

– The library is open today, March 13 until 7 PM and tomorrow from 10 AM to 3 PM and will be closed from Monday. For those who need some items for work or studies from home, please borrow them either today or tomorrow.

After two weeks, the EAMT rectorate will review today’s decisions. The decisions will be made taken people’s safety into account as the first priority.

Please follow the Health Board advice in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak that can be found HERE.

Due to the health risks and recommended precautions related to the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), public concerts and events organized by the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater (EAMT) will not take place from 13th of March to 30th of April.

Based on the recommendations of the Government of the Republic of Estonia as well as the Health Board and taking into consideration the potential risks, the management of EAMT has decided to cancel the events organized by the Academy.

“It is obvious that organizing events with large crowds and international elements is currently considered as complicated and unsafe for the public, staff and performers alike. We certainly want to prevent the situation from escalating, and we prioritize everyone’s security as our first concern,” comments Henry-David Varema, Vice-Rector for Creative Affairs and International Relations at the EAMT.

If deemed possible, events will be not cancelled but rather postponed to the second half of the year. Currently no decisions have been made yet, but in order to stay informed about the events, please follow emtasaalid.ee for further information.

These are temporary measures. The Estonian Academy of Music and Theater follows the recommendations of the Health Board and national regulations and assesses the situation on an ongoing basis.

Due to the health risks and precaution measures caused by the pandemic spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a series of temporary emergency measures are implemented at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Study activities are will continue at the time being, but to prevent the risk of an outbreak, people are advised to follow pertinent cautionary measures.

Working and studying activities are to be rearranged as follows:

• ALL Academy-sponsored international travel is prohibited; already arranged Academy-sponsored travel to the countries stated as risk areas by the Estonian Health Board will be annulled.

• Anyone, who returns or arrives from a location stated as a risk area by the Estonian Health Board, is asked not to visit the EAMT premises for two weeks after returning to Estonia and to rearrange their teaching or studying activities accordingly.

  As of March 12, Coronavirus risk areas are China, South-Korea, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Germany, France, Austria (especially Tirol ski resorts). Please follow the updates on the homepage of the Estonian Health Board.

• Visits by the guest lecturers coming from the risk areas to be cancelled or postponed.

• Anyone who has visited a risk area recently, should immediately inform the head of academic structure or direct superior, students should informed their study registrar.

• Members of the faculty, who know that some student of theirs has recently visited a risk area, should inform the Registry and Student Affairs Department and let this student know that s/he is not allowed to enter the EAMT premises.

• In general, guests are not allowed to enter the EAMT premises as the entrance is possible only with the authorized electronic entrance card.

• The public concerts and other events organized by EAMT are cancelled until 30 April.

These precautionary measures are temporary. EAMT will continue to review the situation following the advice of the Health Board and Government of Estonia. The academy’s emergency measures are effective March 13 until the overall situation has stabilized or new measures are established.

Please follow the Health Board advice in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak that can be found HERE.

For the second time, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre has made it to the QS World University Rankings bu Subject, which is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world.

“Undoubtedly it reflects the high quality of EAMT and we are content and very happy to have secured our Academy on the world map of the universities,” explains Rector Ivari Ilja. “As the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre aspires to be known for its excellence in teaching and research, it shows that we are on the right path,” he adds.

EAMT, having been the first music university from Baltic states included in the QS list,  is currently holding the position no 51-100 in the category of performing arts among such reputable music academies as Cologne and Munich (Germany), the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg (Denmark), Royal Northern College of Music (UK) and St Petersburg Conservatoire (Russia).

The top three performing arts institutions in 2020 are the The Julliard School (USA), London Royal College of Music (UK) and Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (Austria) followed by the London Royal Academy of Music (UK), New York University (US) and London Guildhall School of Music and Drama (UK). Helsinki University of the Arts Sibelius Academy (Finland), ranked as 6th in 2018 and 12th in 2019, is currently holding the 13th 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.