An attempt to summarize his life isn’t easy, but since he passed away on June 2nd, 2023, at age 68, we are left with an expansive, dynamic body of work to better understand this world.
Born Erik Hillar Liitoja on June 18th, 1954, he was first destined to become a professional classical pianist. He began to play as a young boy, before going on to study music performance at the University of Toronto. Elma Miller — who knew Liitoja from the time he attended summer camps and Sunday school in his youth to his time at U of T — remarks that “There isn’t an Estonian musician who didn’t know him unless they were too young.” Indeed, sifting through copies of Vaba Eestlane, one will see he was winning gold and silver medals at piano competitions as early as age 12.
