Great Southern Series Concert 4
Friday 19 July
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $20-$25
Great Southern Series Concert 4
Friday 19 July
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $20-$25
World Showcase Series Concert 1
Tuesday 16 July
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $25 – $35
The Estonian Television Girls’ Choir grew from the children’s songwriting children’s editors’ program for ETV, whose founder and music director from 1990-2004 was choir conductor Aarne Saluveer. Today, in the choir, thirty-seven young women aged 13-20 sing in the choir, most of whom have musical education and choral song experience. The choir’s repertoire includes religious and secular music from different ages, folk music treats with effective movement, modern pop music and jazz schemes, and vocal-symphonic forms.
ETV Girls’ Choir has worked with several renowned Estonian composers such as Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Urmas Sisask and Tõnu Kõrvits. Aarne Saluveer co-starred in New York in the world première A. Pärt’s “Peace Upon You, Jerusalem” written for the ETV Girls’ Choir. In 2010, her Symphony No 3 “Our Garden” was presented to celebrate the composer’s birthday in celebration of the birthday of the Nargen Festival.
For the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, U. Sisaski’s “Veni Creator Spiritus” was presented in London, which was a musical gift from Estonia to England. In honor of V. Tormis’s jubilee, in 2010, “Regilaul and Tormis” took part in various concert series of Estonia, in addition to “Sampo Back”.
At the 100th birthday of the Estonian Theater House, a novel by Vaiko Eplik entitled “Great Painting” was prepared, which in September 2013, on the first presentation, a feature film of the same name was sent.
But in addition to domestic composers, ETV Girls’ Choir has also collaborated with, for example, the British composer Roxanna Panufnik, who wrote the modern day city of Tallinn as “Tallinn: European Capital of Culture 2011”. In May 2013, a long audio piece was recorded with soloists and orchestras. In August 2013, ETV Girls’ Choir was able to compete with the world-famous conductor Eric Whitacre.
Concert tours have led to girls’ chorus almost everywhere in Europe, as well as to America in the ocean. During the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, over 20 concerts were given at European concert halls and Estonian music was introduced with the program “My heart, wake up”. In the summer of 2011, she participated in the first Estonian chorus at the IX World Choral Music Symposium in Puerto Madryn (Argentina), where the choir conductor was asked to instruct one of the four master classes held in the symposium, but in addition, over 11 concerts were given in different cities of the country.
At the beginning of 2012, Imogen Heap held concerts at the Reverb Festival with Ana Silvera and Holst Singers in London (England). In August 2012, the girls traveled to Arezzo, Italy, to receive the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation Guidoneum Award 2012 for the Choir and the Conductor for recognition of the multi-dimensional musical endeavour.
In the spring of 2013, five more girls from the Shanghai International Music Festival took part in the concert tour, the events in the Berlin-based Estonian-German summit “Klang / sounds of Europe” and “Polyfollia” choir festival in Normandy, France, included in that year. In particular, the choir’s performance can be seen in the achievements of the section .
Great Southern Series Concert 4
Friday 19 July, 1pm,
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $20 – $25
World Showcase Series Concert 1
Tuesday 16 July, 7pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $25 – $35
Aarne Saluveer, Artistic Director & Founder
Aarne Saluveer (born 1959) graduated from Estonian Music Academy (choral conducting and music pedagogics) in 1982 and has since furthered his studies at diverse courses in Estonia and abroad (Mozarteum, Salzburg etc.).
He is currently one of the most active figures in the Estonian children’s and youth music scene, a teacher, conductor and educator. He conducts the Estonian TV Girls’ Choir, Mixed Choir of Tallinn Georg Ots Music College, Chamber Choir of Tallinn University and Tartu University Viljandi Cultural Academy Chamber Choir. Since 2006 he holds the posts of Principal at Tallinn G. Ots Music Conservatory.
Aarne Saluveer’s choirs have won international awards at diverse Estonian and international choral contests (Tolosa, Gorizia, Arezzo, Arnhem, Let The Peoples Sing, etc). The Lasteekraan Music Studio he founded in 1990 has amply produced skilful choral singers and highly acclaimed soloists. He has participated as leader/artistic director in numerous projects.
Saluveer is one of the founder members of Estonian Society for Music Education and its first Chairman (1990-1995). Since 2000 he has been the President of Estonian Choral Association and a board member of European Federation of Young Choirs Europa Cantat, since 2005 also member of the Board of Estonian Music Council and Council of World Choir Games, and since 2008 board member of IFCM.
Since 1993 he has conducted children’s and toddler’s choirs at Estonian Song Celebrations, and was Artistic Director of 10th Youth Song Celebration Ilmapuu (2007): open-air concert uniting joint choir of 20 000 singers, symphony orchestras, brass bands and 100 000 spectators. The introductory project of the festical „World Tree“ won a prize at Many Musics in Europe Contest of European Music Council (2005).
He has conducted concerts to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Their Majesties Japanese Emperor and Empress at their visits to Estonia, has been articstic director of Anniversary Concert of Estonian Republic, written and arranged music for diverse pop music projects and performed as an instrumentalist and vocalist, Eurovision song contests and internatinal broadcasts included.
Some other landmarks: Carl Orff Schulwerk application course at Estonian Music Academy; in 1982-1990 music teacher in Viimsi Gymnasium; in 1990-2000 music producer of children’s programs at Eesti Televisioon (ETV); in 2000-2006 led the Department of Fine Arts at Rocca al Mare School (Tallinn); 1990-2004 founder, music director and chief conductor of Lasteekraan Music Studio.
Aarne Saluveer has made presentations at numerous international conferences and symposiums (World Music Forum in Los Angeles 2005, Assembly of Choral Conductors’ Associations in Buenos Aires 2006, World of Children’s Choirs in Vancouver 2001, General Assemblies of Europa Cantat) and led international workshops in Europe and America. He has published articles in International Choral Bulletin and Europa Cantat Magazine, worked as adjuciator in several choral contests, etc. Saluveer was awarded the annual prize of Estonian Cultural Endowment in 1999, 2006 and 2007, the annual prize of the UNICEF Estonian National Committee in 2002 and 2007, grant of Heino Kaljuste Foundation in 2007 and decorated with the Order of the White Star of the Republic of Estonia in 2004. Aarne Saluveer was elected Musician of the Year 2007 by Estonian Public National Broadcasting and Conductor of the Year 2007 by Estonian Choral Association.