Estonian TV Girls' Choir (Estonian: ETV tütarlastekoor) is a choir established by Estonian Television. It grew out of the Children's Television Music Studio, which was founded in 1990. Today the choir comprises 30 singers aged from 14 to 20.
Choir
editThe choir's repertoire includes spiritual and secular music of different ages, folk music, pop and jazz. It has collaborated with Estonian composers Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Urmas Sisask and Tõnis Mägi.[1] The choir has appeared at international conferences, symposiums, and festivals including La Fabbrica del Canto in Italy, Polyfollia in France, and Sympaatti in Finland.[2]
In 2001 the choir performed successfully in the international Competition of Choral Music in Gorizia, gaining the title of best female choir and best choir in all categories. In 2005 the choir won 1st prize in the youth category of the EBU's international competition Let The Peoples Sing.[3] The girls also took part in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest in Tallinn.[4]
The choir has toured in countries including Australia,[1] USA,[1] Argentina,[1] Great Britain,[1] France,[1][5] Netherlands,[6] Italy,[7] Switzerland,[8] Spain,[5] Andorra,[5] and Portugal.[5]
Reception
editIn 2005, Nigel Hildreth, on a Finzi Trust travel scholarship, witnessed the ETV Girls' Choir rehearsing and described it as one of the world's best girls' choirs.[9]
In 2008, when Estonia celebrated its 90th anniversary, the choir was chosen to bring one of Estonia's musical gifts, the composer Urmas Sisask's "Veni Creator Spiritus" to Great Britain; he conducted the choir on that occasion.[1][10]
In 2012, they performed "to wide acclaim" at the Camden Roundhouse in London.[11] The musician Brian Eno admired the choir, saying they "made me shiver, their performance of Veljo Tormis’ compositions was just stunning, I want to visit Estonia as soon as tomorrow!"[12]
In 2014 the choir performed in the London Southbank Centre with a jazz ensemble, singing in a circle around the audience.[13] The reviewer Adam Garrie, for Estonian World, described the school-age singers as having musical standards "higher than many professional choirs"; he felt that they "in many ways stole the show".[13]
The choir represented Estonia in the 2017 Eurovision Choir of the Year competition.[4] Lisa-Jayne Lewis, reviewing the competition for ESC Insight, called the choir's performance "a wonderful merging of choral singing and folk music, great openers to the show."[14] Watching the show, the reviewer Iain Weaver thought their performance was good enough to win.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Estonian Television Girls' Choir". Gondwana World Choral Festival 2019. 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Finnish, Estonian & LA Children's Choirs Featured in Free Performance Tonight". Broadway World. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Estonian Television Girls Choir". Let the future sing. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
- ^ a b "Cultural ambassadors of Estonia: Estonian Television Girls' Choir to compete at Eurovision Choir of the Year". Interkultur. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Estonian TV Girls' Choir Concert Tour in France, Spain, Portugal and Andorra". Silo.Tips. 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Atheneum Kamerorkest Koninklijk Conservatorium". School and College Listings. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Concorso Corale 2001". Associazione Seghizzi. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Mädchenchor des Estnischen Fernsehens". InfoBalt. 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
Mädchenchor des Estnischen Fernsehens (ETV Girls' Choir), Leitung Aarne Saluveer ... Basel, Schaffhausen, Ascona,
- ^ Hildreth, Nigel (2005). "A result of a Travel Scholarship awarded by The Finzi Trust to Nigel Hildreth in 2005A view of the musical traditions of two countries: Sweden and Estonia" (PDF). Gerald Finzi Trust. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Who We Are". Vigala Singers. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
performing at the Estonian Choral Directors' Seminar in Vigala, and also with the Estonian TV Girls' Choir in a joint premiere by Urmas Sisask to mark the Republic of Estonia's 90th Anniversary at St. Paul's Knightsbridge (2008) supported by the Estonian Embassy.
- ^ "Ola Onabule on SBC & Estonian TV". Innsbruck Records. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ Tambur, Silvia (5 July 2012). "Brian Eno impressed by the performance of Estonian TV girls' choir (Video)". Estonian World. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ a b Garrie, Adam (10 April 2014). "Concert review: Across genres and nations – the Estonian TV girls' choir perform with the British soul and jazz vocalist Ola Onabule in London". Estonian World. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Lisa-Jayne (25 July 2017). "Reviewing Eurovision Choir of the Year 2017". ESC Insight. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ Weaver, Iain (2017). "Pitch Battle, Eurovision Choir of the Year". UK Game Shows.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.