Young Choir Singers from Tartu and Japan to Perform Together
On Friday, 22 August, the Tubin Hall of the Heino Eller Tartu Music College will host a joint choral concert featuring young singers from Japan and Estonia. The performers include the Sorciere Children’s Choir from the city of Ise, Japan, and the Tartu Laulupesa Children’s Choir.
The programme of the concert will feature classics of Estonian choral music alongside works by well-known Japanese composers. Among the pieces to be performed are Veljo Tormis’s “Modal Etudes”, Heino Kaljuste’s “Ring Dance Song”, and Airi Liiva’s new work “Across the Resounding World”, which received its world premiere this spring, performed by the Japanese choir.
The choirs will be conducted by Airi Liiva, Kristi Jörberg, and Kazuko Kawamata, who has led Japanese choirs for over four decades. The internationally renowned conductor and musicologist Masahiro Taniguchi will also be present in Tartu.
The concert forms part of the collaboration launched within the framework of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 and EU Japan Fest, bringing together the musical and choral traditions of the two countries. The Japanese singers will spend a week in Tartu, taking part in choir rehearsals, workshops, and cultural events.
“Making music together offers the Laulupesa children valuable stage experience and a deeper understanding of the richness of Japanese culture, while the young singers from Japan will have the chance to discover Estonian music and traditions,” said Airi Liiva, Artistic Director and Conductor of Laulupesa.
In March, conductors Airi Liiva, Kristi Jörberg, Liis Pärn, and Aarne Saluveer visited Japan, where they led workshops for young singers and introduced Estonian music. Next year, the Laulupesa Children’s Choir will travel to Japan in return.The Shared Sounds concert will take place on Friday, 22 August at 6 p.m. in the Tubin Hall of the Heino Eller Tartu Music College. Tickets are priced at €5.