The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia) began in the form of a mixed choir of the Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

 Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

 Higher Music School on November 17, 1918. The opening ceremony took place on September 28, 1919. In 1923 the educational institution was renamed the Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

 Conservatoire. In 1938 the State Drama School was opened. In 1993 the school was renamed the “Estonian Academy of Music”. In 1995 the Drama Faculty was renamed the Higher Theatre School.

Some prominent graduates of the Estonian Academy of Music include singer Aile Asszonyi

Aile Asszonyi

Aile Asszonyi , is an Estonian classical soprano who has an active career as an opera and concert singer. She was a finalist of the 2004 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium and has been honored by the Estonian Music Council with the "Interpretation Prize" in 2007; an annual award given in...

, conductors Roman Matsov

Roman Matsov

Roman Matsov ; was an Estonian violinist, pianist, and conductor of German-Baltic descent....

, Tõnu Kaljuste

Tõnu Kaljuste

Tõnu Kaljuste is an Estonian conductor.Born in Tallinn, Kaljuste is the child of Heino Kaljuste , an Estonian choral conductor, and Lia Kaljuste, a radio journalist. Tõnu sang in his father's choirs as a child, and graduated from the Tallinn Music High School in 1971...

, Olari Elts

Olari Elts

Olari Elts is an Estonian Conductor. He was the principal conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2006...

, Eri Klas

Eri Klas

Eri Klas, is an Estonian conductor.Klas is of Jewish ancestry. Klas graduated as an opera and concert conductor in both Tallinn and Leningrad , beginning his conducting career at the Estonia Theatre in Tallinn and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow...

, composers Arvo Pärt

Arvo Pärt

Arvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...

, Lepo Sumera

Lepo Sumera

Lepo Sumera was an Estonian composer and teacher. Considered one of Estonia's most renowned composers along with Heino Eller and Arvo Pärt, he was also his country's Minister of Culture from 1988 to 1992 during the days of the Singing Revolution.He was born in Tallinn and studied with Veljo...

, and Erkki-Sven Tüür

Erkki-Sven Tüür

Erkki-Sven Tüür is an Estonian composer.Tüür was born in Kärdla on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. He studied flute and percussion at the Tallinn Music School from 1976 to 1980 and composition with Jaan Rääts at the Tallinn Academy of Music and privately with Lepo Sumera from 1980 to 1984...

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External links

• Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre