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Our warmest congratulations go to pianist Piret Mikalai, who was awarded the Yamaha scholarship of 1000 €.

The scholarship competition took place on 28 February in the Concert hall of the EAMT in participation of 13 full time piano students. The jury assessing the competition consisted of Senior Lecturer Mati Mikalai and Professor Toivo Nahkur.

Piret Mikalai is studying under Prof. Peep Lassmann and Lecturer Mihkel Poll.

EAMT announces the competition for student projects

The deadline for project drafts: February 20, 2020 at 12:00

The preliminary project plan has to include:
– the title and purpose of the project;
– summary, target group, preliminary budget;
– expected outcomes of the project;
– responsible organiser of the project, team and potential partners;
– contact datas (e-mail, phone, account no)

The competition jury will select the most promising ideas. These ideas/teams will be participating in the 3-months Creative Business Development program STARTERtallinn (starting February 26). The jury will assess the developed ideas again in the end of May and up to three best projects will be granted a scholarship in order to implement the idea.

The prize fund is 800 €.

The jury will prefer sustainable creative projects and business ideas with a specific output. Students of all levels (BA, MA, and Doctoral degree) are welcome to submit their ideas to the competition.

Jury will select winners according to the terms and conditions of the competition The selected projects have to be implemented during one calendar year after the competition; the projects have to be publicly introduced as being held under the aegis of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the winners of competition must follow the requirements of the competition rules.

The deadline for submitting projects is at 12:00 on February 20, 2020. Projects have to be submitted electronically to e-mail projektikonkurss@ema.edu.ee in Estonian or in English.

Information: Marko Lõhmus, marko@ema.edu.ee, (Cultural Management)

MAKE YOUR IDEA HAPPEN!

The Yamaha scholarship competition 2020, open to all full time piano students of the EAMT, will take place on Friday, 28 February at 10.00 in the concert hall of EAMT. Candidates will be asked to play a programme of their own choosing with the maximum duration of 25-30 min.

In order to participate, please send your name and programme by 20 February 2020 latest to kai@ema.edu.ee.

One scholarship of 1000€ will be awarded.

Fundraising coach and lecturer Heidi Lehmuskumpu gives a seminar at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre on January 17.

Heidi Lehmuskumpu is a versatile fundraising, communications and arts management specialist. She is focused on developing strategic fundraising in the fields of arts and science. After working as Development Manager in fundraising for four years at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, Lehmuskumpu is now a full-time PhD student at the University of the Arts Helsinki, Sibelius Academy. Her research focuses on strategic fundraising at international opera and ballet organizations. In addition, Lehmuskumpu gives lectures and workshops on fundraising.

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is pleased to announce the beginning of receiving admission applications from international students for the academic year 2020-2021! All applications are submitted using the Dreamapply website starting from 15 January.

Before applying, please take your time to get acquainted with our programmes taught in English and general admission info that includes the exact audition periods, how and when to apply, and how high is the application fee.

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre promotes open education and an international study environment. Young talented people, who meet the required standards, are always welcome to study here. The number of international students at our Academy has increased rapidly in recent years: out of a total of approximately 630 students about 160 are from other countries than Estonia.

Implementing the unique LoLa (low latency) streaming technology, the concert “Connecting Traditions” will take place on 20 December 2019 simultaneously in two locations: at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) and at the Hajibeyov Baku Academy of Music.

LoLa (low latency) technology tool enables real time musical performances where musicians are physically located in remote sites (up to 5000 km) connected by advanced network services with no significant distortion or delay. Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is the first in Estonia to use this tool and has gained rich LoLa experience since the first introduction of LoLa in Tallinn in a concert “Music without Borders” on 5 October 2017 in the framework of the 2nd Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting on Digital Economy.

Thanks to the EaPConnect project, LoLa is now available in Eastern Partnership countries. This project sets out to create a regional research and education network in Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus with the objective to decrease the digital divide, improve intra-regional connectivity and facilitate participation of local scientists, students and academics in global research and education collaborations.

Organized in connection with the EaPConnect Enlighten Your Research 2018 winning project “MIRCO: Music Instruments Renewal via Contemporary Creation” (project leader Paolo Girol, EAMT), the concert “Connecting Traditions” features top musicians from Estonia and Azerbaijan performing in real time to showcase how seamless connection the R&E networks and LoLa provide.

A world premiere of new composition for traditional instruments Kannel (EST) and Tar (AZ) by Azerbaijani composer Ilaha Qismat forms the heart of this concert. Speeches by high-level guests and performances by artists in Baku and Tallinn, Estonia, connected via R&E networks with LoLa technology will complete the event.

‘Connecting Traditions’ LoLa concert between Azerbaijan and Estonia
20 December 18:00 (EST 16:00)
Baku, Azerbaijan

World Youth Choir is looking for young, talented, experienced singers between 17 and 26 years old, as on July 1st, 2020 (obligatory).

The audition will take place on Friday, 6 December 2019 at 11.00 in the Chamber hall of the EAMT (C-405).

During your audition you will be recorded and asked to perform (in the following order):
1) A range test – one scale sung forte a cappella on an open vowel presenting the entire voice-range;
2) Sight-reading – an unknown exercise that is not prepared in advance. You can use up to 10 minutes to look the exercise through (not using a piano, except for the introduction pitch/cadenza), analyze all tonal and theory components. Then record at first attempt in front of the jury;
3) Prepared score – obligatory choral excerpt from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
4) Prepared aria of choice. Please bring your own piano accompanist!

Summer session
The summer session 2020 will be held from July 30th to August 20th. The rehearsal session in Bonn, Germany will be followed by a tour with concerts in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria. The choir will be under the artistic direction of conductors Tan Dun (USA) and Jörn Hinnerk Andresen (DEU) and will perform a programme with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and a commission work by Tan Dun called “Nine”. More detailed info is available at the WYC homepage.

NB! All the expenses during the summer session are covered by the WYC. Nevertheless, the selected singers are expected to pay the participation fee 100€, traveling costs to Germany and back,  the insurance costs + some pocket money for private expenses.

You can sign up for the audition until 29 November 2019 latest by sending an e-mail either to:
Kai Kiiv, International Relations Specialist of the EAMT, kai@ema.edu.ee

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 100^th 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 100^th 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.