4 minute read
The return of Estonian Music Week
Everything you need to know for this year’s hybrid festival
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After many online concerts in the last 12 months, Estonian Music Week is ready to open its doors again for a chain reaction of music and culture from Estonia and Canada.
This year, the festival is hybrid, which means you can watch the concerts and events virtually *for free*, or in-person if you purchase one of the limited-availability tickets from estonianmusicweek.ca. Snap up these tickets quickly to secure what may be your first in-person live music date in 18 months.
That being said, if you can’t get tickets in time, you can still watch the show online on the Estonian Music Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Estonian MusicWeek) or YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/ UCwBb2dRot2-4QX5Cbmc_ zDg).
At all concerts, EMW is ensuring COVID-19 protocol will be observed, with proof of double-vaccination required to enter and venues operating at 50% capacity. Masks must be worn except when eating or drinking.
All the bases are covered with the festival lineup this year.
Is your soul longing for grooves and bluesy vocals? Then get tickets ($25 each) for night one, on Friday October 22nd at 6:00 PM (EDT), hosted by Erik Laar.
Titled “New Voices in R&B”, Toronto-based indie artist Estyr and Estonian-Canadian alt-pop singer Kaili Kinnon will perform live on the Northern Birch Stage at the Paradise Theatre (1006c Bloor St W, Toronto). Shortly afterwards, classic soul vocalist Rita Ray will be livestreamed from Philly Joe’s Jazz Club in Tallinn for viewers to watch at the venue in Toronto or at home. Thematically, the music reaches into topics of gender identity, mental health, and sexuality.
Are you looking for indie, electronic, or folk? Night two – at El Mocambo (464 Spadina Ave. #462, Toronto) on Saturday October 23rd at 5:00 PM (EDT) – will be right up your alley. Hosted by Kaili Kinnon, this comprehensive show (with tickets on sale for $35), is titled “Persevering Languages.” Throughout the night, four ensembles and artists will present their musical perspective on how languages and cultures have persevered through colonization, oppression, and globalization.
Beatrice Deer, who is from Nunavik, and her band from Montréal will share Inuit folk tales, legends, and a narrative of searching for understanding and meaning within yourself, as articulated in the Inuindie genre she has developed.
Turntable artist Erik Laar will whirl Estonia’s traditional music into a contemporary electronic context. The two friends who make up Duo Ruut will sing and play as one with their command of a single zither. Väike Hellero & Friends will bring us close to Estonian and Finno-Ugric folklore and traditional music.
Duo Ruut at Viljandi Folk.
Photo: Henri Kristian-Kirsip
If you’re looking for daytime events, there’s lots for you to enjoy, too. On Saturday October 23rd at 12:00 PM, come down to Tartu College (310 Bloor St. W) for a fun afternoon of kids’ music and a story reading from author and musician Vincent Teetsov and his friend and drummer extraordinaire, Stefan Loebus. This concert will also be available online through the Estonian Music Week Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Vincent Teetsov holding a copy of his book Pumpkin and Stretch.
On Sunday October 17th at 3:00 PM (EDT), prior to the start of the festival’s music, EMW and VEMU will copresent the virtual Canadian premiere of Erle Veber’s documentary about Finno-Ugric people and the music of Veljo Tormis, titled Unustatud rahvaste jälgedes (“In the Steps of Forgotten Peoples”). Tune into VEMU’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/VEMUESC) for the screening, as well as “a discussion with conductor Endrik Üksvärav and Finno-Ugrist Taisto Raudalainen.”
On Wednesday October 20th at 7:00 PM (EDT), in English, Anti Lillak of Eesti Rahva Muuseum (the Estonian National Museum) will give us a tour of the museum’s exhibit Echo of the Urals, that explores the identity and lives of Finno-Ugric nations. Access it on Zoom by entering the meeting ID number 828 1614 5163.
For their generous support of these events, Estonian Music Week and VEMU would like to thank: partner Estonian Foundation of Canada; sponsors Northern Birch Credit Union and Humphrey Miles Funeral Home; donors Koger Valuations Inc and John Teetsov; supporters Artsvest, Toronto Arts Council, Integratsiooni Sihtasutus, Embassy of Estonia (Ottawa), and Eesti Kultuurkapital; consultants Music Estonia and Estonian Ministry of Culture.
Mark your calendars and tell all of your friends and family, because you won’t want to miss any of this!
