Let’s begin with memorable performances by over 50 musicians, of which 70% were female/non-binary-led acts. Those performances took place on 10 stages located across 3 different cities. Then there’s our amazing partners, 12 that were brand new to EMW and 6 that know us well – all bringing expertise and curious listeners with them. As a result, of the over 800 in attendance, many were enjoying Estonian culture for the very first time.
Another side of the festival that was less on display was our brand new Nordic Connect Conference. Attended by 28 music industry professionals, we connected Canadians and Estonians who were ready to collaborate. And they got to work! One of the first results is that Erik Laar will be performing in Estonia this spring, including both Jazzkaar and Tallinn Music Week.
Continuing in the spirit of collaboration, we are working with many new partners to bring music fans the chance to get to know Estonian artists.
So what’s next for EMW? We are pleased to announce that the next Estonian Music Week festival will take place May 22-25, 2025. Please mark your calendars! Now that we’re in the early stages of planning, we’d love to hear from organizations that are interested in collaborating. Got an idea? We’re happy to hear them! In fact, we’ll be asking the community to vote on their favourite musical act across our social media channels and we promise the winner will perform at EMW.
But what about 2024? Glad you asked. Continuing in the spirit of collaboration, we are working with many new partners to bring music fans the chance to get to know Estonian artists. We began the year off with Soundstreams for their Encounter Series on Jan 29 at Tartu College, where we explored the music of Arvo Pärt ahead of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir concert (which took place on Feb 3). The collaboration continues with Estonian Central Council in Canada (EKN), who have brought the sensational accordionist Kert Krüsban to Canada as part of their Estonian Independence Day celebrations. Join EMW and Krüsban for a full-length performance on February 28th at 7PM at Tartu College ($20/$15).
We are putting the finishing touches on two exciting collaborations that will put Estonian artists centre stage at major events and venues across the province.
The excitement continues with Eesti Otsib Superstaari winner, Eesti Laul winner and Eurovision contestant ALIKA, who will be performing and chatting with us at Tartu College on Apr 3rd at 7PM ($20/$15). ALIKA’s chart-topping hit “Bridges” just won Estonian Music Awards Song of the Year, and ALIKA walked away with a total of 5 awards, the most of any artist this year. Did I mention she’s fantastic live? The visit is taking place in collaboration with Estonian Culture Days NYC.
Tickets for all EMW events are available via the Estonian Music Week website.
We are putting the finishing touches on two exciting collaborations that will put Estonian artists centre stage at major events and venues across the province. We are looking forward to sharing those with you soon. As always, the best way to be the first to know is by joining our mailing list, through the EMW website.
You can get in touch with the EMW team via emw@vemu.ca
