Dear Members of the International Estonian Communities, Estophiles, and Interested Singers:

As many of us come from a heritage of singing, I would like to present to you an opportunity to come together virtually in song.

The current objective is to have a pair of songs that we will all rehearse and sing separately and then submit for inclusion in a virtual choir. The objective is to submit these individual parts by June 1st, 2021, and have the combined virtual choir available for presentation some days before Jaanipäev 2021 (June 24th). Instruction and help for preparing for the submission will be available.

Participation in this virtual choir is open to all interested singers, and it is not necessary that the individual submissions to the choir be perfect.

The songs planned for this virtual choir are the original compositions of Brigitte Doss-Johnson and Kaja Weeks. Kaja Weeks is a published Estonian-American poet who composes in both Estonian and English. Brigitte Doss-Johnson is an American choral conductor who recently led the San Francisco Estonian Choir to the 2019 Estonian Song Festival. She has an abiding interest in Estonian choral music. The pieces for the virtual choir, Rise and Midsummer, are happy collaborations that include both English as well as ancient Estonian verse set to music that incorporates the characteristics of runic modes.

To express your interest in sharing your voice and to receive more details, please submit your contact information using the link: https://tinyurl.com/laulusild. This link to Laulusild 2021 also carries further current information about the project. Materials for the project and instructions will be forthcoming directly to the email address you submit. You may be confident that any information you provide in this submission will not be distributed beyond the organization of this event.

If there are other questions regarding this event (Laulusild 2021) that need clarification, you may contact me (Aare Onton)* directly at aareonton@gmail.com.

Respectfully, AARE

* Aare Onton is a Tartu-born American residing in Saratoga, California who traveled to the Estonian Song Festival 2019 as a participant with the San Francisco Estonian Community Choir directed by Brigitte Doss-Johnson. He is assisting in the organization of this virtual choir event, Laulusild 2021.