The E STuudio Youth Choir will be on tour in England from July 5th to July 10th. Today, they will be performing in London at the opening ceremony for Estonia’s Presidency of the Council of European Union in the Holland Park Orangery. In addition to appearances at the well-known Cheltenham and Lichfield Music Festivals, the choir will also perform in London at St John’s Smith Square, and in Cambridge, at the Church of St Mary the Great. The concert programme will focus on works by the great composers of Estonian choral music – Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis.
According to Külli Lokko, the chief conductor of the E STuudio Youth Choir, the choir’s concert tour is dedicated to the Estonia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the approaching centenary of the Republic of Estonia. “We are proud to present the works of Estonian composers and are happy that we can contribute to the recognition of Estonia and an event marking the opening of Estonia’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in London,” Lokko said. “We want to express our great appreciation to the Estonian Embassy in London and Kersti Kirs, the Cultural Counsellor, who was of tremendous in helping to organise our tour,” she added.
Cultural Counsellor Kersti Kirs said the Estonian Embassy in London is very happy to start the term of Estonia’s presidency with a performance in the United Kingdom of one of the fundamentals of Estonian culture – choral music. “Since the Song and Dance Celebration just occurred, the Year of Children’s and Youth Culture is still underway, and the future will primarily be shaped by the young, then the E STuudio Youth Choir and their youthful energy seemed like the only possible choice in this context. The choir is talented and has a great deal of experience, which is proven by the awards they have won at international competitions. I am very glad that during their tour the choir will be performing at renowned music festivals. Hopefully, the concert tour will provide the choir with an opportunity to make new contacts and find opportunities to come back,” said Kirs.
On July 6th, the youth choir will perform in London at St John’s Smith Square; on July 7th and 8th at the Cheltenham festival; on July 9th at the Lichfield festival; and on July 10th in Cambridge at the Church of St Mary the Great. The concerts will be conducted by Külli Lokko, Eliisa Sakarias and Jaanus Karlson.
The concert tour is being supported by the Estonian Embassy in London, the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the City of Tartu and other sponsors.