News

Tartu Song Festival's sponsorship agreement with Kalev to be signed at a new candy shop

Press statement 8.06.2009

On Tuesday, 9 June, Mayor of Tartu Urmas Kruuse and Chairman of Board of AS Kalev Chocolate Factory Kati Kusmin will sign the cooperation agreement on supporting the Tartu Song festival. The event also opens Kalev’s new candy shop in Tartu at Poe 1/Küüni 4.

Chairman of board of Kalev Chocolate Factory Kati Kusmin said that Kalev is honoured to be a sponsor of this year’s song festival in Tartu. “A part of the mission of Kalev as the best known company among Estonians is to support undertakings which perform an important role in preserving our national identity and culture. Tartu, the city of birth of our song festivals holds an important place in the history of development of Estonia,” said Kusmin.

The mayor of Tartu Urmas Kruuse said that Tartu Song Festival has found a valuable partner in Kalev Chocolate Factory. “If you put together 140 years of tradition of song festivals and 203 years of experience in manufacturing chocolate, it can only lead to a very sweet and nice-sounding cooperation,” said Kruuse. According to his words the joint undertaking is also celebrated by the “Candy Song” to be performed at the song festival by the toddlers' choirs.


City to award Medal of Tartu to Taavo Virkhaus

Press statement 3.06.2009

Tartu City Government decided to reward Taavo Virkhaus, soon celebrating his 75th birthday, with Medal of Tartu for his contribution to promoting Estonian diaspora's music scene and for his merits in the history of Estonian and Tartu's song festivals.
The awarding ceremony is planned for 12 June when a concert of Vanemuine Theatre Symphony Orchestra and selected choirs from Tartu will take place with Taavo Virkhaus as one of the conductors. He will also conduct the theatre's orchestra at this year's Tartu Song Festival.


Book about Tartu County song festivals out from the printing house

Press statement 25.05.2009

This summer marks 140 years from the first Estonian General Song Festival.
Tartu, the birthtown of song festivals, celebrates this with their own song festival on 13 June. An album of the area's song festivals titled „Who Has Songs to Sing – 140 Years of Song Festivals in Tartu County“ will be published for the occasion, written by Juhani Püttsepp, designed  by Maarja Roosi, with photographs by Margus Ansu.
144 pages bound in beautiful buckram include song festival stories, archive materials and pictures. Conductors and singers of Tartu County choirs, as well as folk dancers and wind band players have shared memories and thoughts. The book includes a short summary in English.


Ticket sales for Tartu Song Festival concerts begins on 4 May

Press statement 4.05.2009

Starting from today, Piletilevi and Piletimaailm ticket sale chains will offer Tartu Song Festival tickets. The number of participants of the festival exceeds 8,000. This year's event will be a great spectacle where Vanemuine Theatre Symphony Orchestra, runic singers and folk musicians will perform in addition to choirs, dance groups and wind bands. Ticket prices for the 13 June main song festival concert are as follows: single ticket 50 kroons, family ticket (at least 2 adults and 2 children) 140 kroons.

The festive concert of the eve of Tartu Song Festival will take place on 12 June at 19:00 in the building of St Mary's Church (Pepleri 1). Vanemuine Theatre Symphony Orchestra and selected choirs from Tartu – Tartu Academic Male Choir, Tartu University Academic Female Choir, Tartu University Chamber Choir and Tartu Youth Choir will perform cyclical pieces by Estonian composers. The concert's conductors are Lauri Sirp and Taavo Virkhaus and soloists Karmen Puis and Taavi Tampuu.


Album of Tartu County song festivals to be published by the time of festival

Press statement 4.03.2009
 

A book titled "Tartu Song Festivals Album" written by Juhani Püttsepp and designed by Maarja Roosi will be published by the time of Tartu Song Festival of 13 June 2009. Donations are welcome to support its publication and advanced booking has also begun.
The writer Juhani Püttsepp says: "Preparing for the 2009 festival, the book tells the story of past song festivals in Tartu County and the roots of the tradition in the form of a festive album. We've tried to build bridges between the past and the present and looked at both today's and former leading organizers. The album should, in fact, be seen as a song with its own flow - first and foremost one integral work of art, not just a reference book. An old song we are now joyously singing again".


A Le Coq to be Song Festival's main sponsor

Press statement 16.02.2009

On Monday, 16 February 2009, for the first time in the 140 year long song festival history, an elating and content-rich cooperation agreement in runic verse will be performed in A Le Coq Beer Museum.


“Who Has Songs to Sing” chosen for the slogan of Tartu Song Festival

Press statement 26.01.2009

The artistic committee of Tartu Song Festival has chosen the slogan “Who Has Songs to Sing” for the festival taking place on 13 June. The song with the same name was composed by Rein Rannap to the lyrics of Hando Runnel and the mixed choir version written by the composer specially for this festival will be brought to public for the first time.