Estonian String Players Competition 2020, taking place from November 5 to 13 in Tallinn, marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of composer Eduard Tubin. This year’s competition will feature more than 30 participants, judged by an international jury. All rounds of the competition will be held at the Concert Hall of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
The four-round competition will be held in specialities of violin, viola, cello, and double bass. As a result of the preliminary round (video round) in the spring, 27 violinists, 5 violists, 8 cellists and 4 double bassists were qualified for the first round.
The compulsory work in the first round should be chosen from the selection of the works by Eduard Tubin, Heino Eller, and Ludvig Juht. The second round includes a freely chosen piece by Estonian composer that is composed after the year of 1980. Among other pieces, the selection for the final round includes the Violin Concerto No. 1 and 2 as well as the Double Bass Concerto by Eduard Tubin.
Participants will be judged by a five-member international jury consisting of Susie Mészáros (viola, Royal College of Music, London), Jan-Erik Gustafsson (cello, Finland), Eva Bindere (violin, Latvian Academy of Music), Jiri Parviainen (double bass, Finland). The chairman of the jury is Kristel Pappel (Professor of Musicology at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre).
The first and the second round will be held from November 5 to 10. The final round allowing the best competitors to perform with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Arvo Volmer will be held from November 11 to 13. All rounds of the competition will be held at the Concert Hall of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and are open to the public. All rounds can also be watched live on YouTube.
Competitions for string players in Estonia started in 1968, at first covering the specialities of violin and cello. The viola as well as the double bass, were included from the year 1975. The competitions were held until 1987, followed by a break of almost 30 years. The tradition of the string players competitions was restored in 2015 at the discretion of the Estonian String Teachers Association in cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
The winners of the string players competition include Jüri Gerretz, Tiiu Peäske (Heinsalu), Mari Tampere-Bezrodny, Peeter Paemurru, Arvo Leibur, Mart Laas, Henry-David Varema, and Leho Karin among others. The winners of the previous Estonian String Players Competition held in 2015 include Marcel Johannes Kits, Linda-Anette Verte, and Hans Christian Aavik.
The Estonian String Players Competition is organised by the Estonian String Teachers Association and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
* Translation: Estonian Music Information Center: https://emic.ee/estonian-string-players-competition-2020