BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Estonian composer Pärt gets highest French state award

French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand presented Estonian composer Arvo Pärt with the highest decoration in France, Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, LETA/National Broadcasting reports.

“This is very big honour for me and my homeland Estonia,” Pärt said when receiving the award.

The Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour was founded in 1802 by Napoleon I Bonaparte. In Estonia it has been awarded among others to former president Lennart Meri, current president Toomas Hendrik Ilves, current European Commissioner Siim Kallas, writer Jaan Kross, writer Jaan Kaplinski, French language teacher and school principal Lauri Leesi and historian Jüri Kuuskemaa.

The heart and character of Sade to bloom in Tallinn : Nov. 2nd

TALLINN - Once in a lifetime we get a chance to meet people who like to see the world from different boundaries than ourselves. One such person is Sade, British singer, songwriter and producer, who comes to Tallinn to perform her newest program and give an exclusive concert at Saku Suurhall, on Nov.2.

Helen Folasade Adu, who is better known as Sade, has Nigerian and English roots. Born in 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria, she moved to England with her mother and elder brother Banji, after the marriage of her father and mother failed. While Sade enjoyed American soul music, she did not think about a career in this field. Instead, she studied fashion at St. Martin’s School of Arts, helping with backing vocals in the band “Pride.” Sade toured around the UK with the band, until the soulful piece “Smooth Operator” drew the attention of the major record companies, which chose her over the rest of “Pride.” Finally, she accepted a deal with Epic records bringing in three other “mates” of “Pride” – bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist Stuart Matthewman and keyboard player Andrew Hale – together with her. In that way the unique crew of Sade was formed.

“Your Love Is King,” the very first single from Sade, provided a huge success for the band and its front woman, reaching the top 10 of the UK charts in 1984 and initiating a long-term musical career, alongside with media coverage about her life both on and off stage. The sound turned into Sade’s trademark, and seemingly it still lives today. In 25 years of singing it has been embodied in nine studio albums, one of which is a live performance of the 2001 Lovers Live Tour.

Estonian-French duo releases debut album

The Estonian-French experimental jazz duo Rouge Madame introduced their debut album with a gig in Paris on October 7, the opening day of the Estonie Tonique culture festival held in France.

Estonian-born singer and actress Lembe Lokk together with a native French songwriter and film director Jean-Christophe Onno established the band almost two years ago.

Their music is a mix of jazz, rock, electronic beats and Estonian folk tunes and the lyrics for their songs are either in Estonian, French or English.

The lyrics are written by Lokk, while the music arrangements have been made by Onno.

Rouge Madame’s first album was self-produced and the artists hope that it will launch their international career and help them get a record deal in France, ETV reported.

Ingrid Teesalu

check it here

ESN Tallinn is going to Harvest Fest 2011 in Viljandi

Harvest Fest is expecting exchange students to Viljandi

The real autumn of Southern-Estonia begins on 14th and 15th of October when traditional music friends and lovers are gathering in Viljandi to put an end to the summer season and have a great party before the wild winter colds.

The juiciest and greatest harvest of traditional music is brought out onto the stages of Traditional Music Center and into workshops, for examination.

From one side it is a great chance for exchange students to get to know Estonian and Pan-Finno-Ugrian great souls and their traditional music with deep roots. Also to listen to ethnic music and stories behind the seas.

On the other hand, Harvest Fest gives a chance to party, to find new friends and gather a lot of emotions. On both nights, folk’n rock bands and etno DJ-s, are taking over the stage and the Traditional Music Center.

More information, performers and timetable: http://www.folk.ee/en/Syndmused&nID=1143

Demi Lovato + Kerli

British singer Adele has now secured her spot as possibly the most successful artist of the 21st century. Her flawless sophomore album 21 has now sold more copies than any other album in a single year by any artist, with over three million albums having already been sold since it’s release. It’s safe to say that the most any other artist / band can hope to achieve this year is number two. With that being said, Demi Lovato makes more than a decent stab with her newest album. It’s been a week since it’s release and no word of a lie Unbroken by Demi Lovato has been on repeat almost every hour of every day within the last week. That’s how good the former Disney star’s new album is.

As mentioned in previous articles, Demi had been working on this album since before, during, and immediately after entering a treatment facility for various mental issues. If anything, this experience has strengthened Miss Lovato and made the album a lot more real and sincere; comparable only to Adele. Known for the typical bordering stereotypical pop rock sound, Demi has not stepped but jumped out of her comfort zone into the world of Urban music. She does it with such sincerity and such gusto that you’d think this is what Demi originally started her music career with.

The album commences with the funky track All Night Long, produced, written by and featuring Missy Elliott and Timbaland. The production duo go back to their hit making formula seen in albums like Aaliyah’s One In A Million to get you in the mood. The lead single off the album Skyscraper is an emotionally turmoil ballad that represents both her recovery from her personal demons and possibly her recovery from her former relationship with fellow Disney star Joe Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers). The violent and fragile imagery invoked strikes a nerve to anyone who’s ever truly suffered. The main writer of the song was Estonian pop star Kerli (Kõiv).

Police kept busy at Viljandi Folk

For all its cultural worth, the Viljandi Folk Music Festival has over the years become more and more like an Estonian Woodstock, if there is such a thing.

Snooping amongst fans and partiers camped out on the concert grounds in Viljandi, police handed out a number of misdemeanor citations: 63 underaged drinkers were busted; 23 individuals were put in the drunk tank; 14 were detained for disorderly conduct; another 14 were caught in the driver's seat with a positive blood-alcohol reading; and 12 incidences of illicit drug-use are being investigated.

Forty-six of the 171 violations were traffic-related.

The main program of the four-day festival, held from July 28 to 31, boasted 70 concerts, featuring artists from India, Senegal, the Dominican Republic, the UK, Denmark and elsewhere.

Ott Tammik

Special Estonian choir concert to take place on Wednesday

Conductor Lonnie Cline will lead a combined choir of over 100 singers and an orchestra in a performance of the Estonian Requiem by Cyrillus Kreek this Wednesday (August 5th) at 7:30 m at St. Mary’s Academy (1615 SW Fifth Ave.). This Requiem was written by Kreek between 1925 and 1927, making it the first ever written by an Estonian composer.

Cline, the Director of Vocal Activities at Clackamas Community College has assembled singers from Clackamas Community College Chamber Choir, Unistus Chamber Choir, members of Estonian mixed choirs from the West Coast and from Ontario, Canada, along with members from the Portland Symphonic Choir, Oregon Repertory Singers, Bach Cantata Choir, and the Oregon City High School Singers. They will perform with a 32-member orchestra that includes musicians from the Portland Opera and the Oregon Ballet Theatre.

The concert is a welcome from Portland to the West Coast Estonian community and an opening ceremony for the West Coast Estonian Days (Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad ) that’s being held at the Double Tree Hotel near Lloyd Center. The second half of the concert will feature the Estonian folk songs – performed a cappella in the style of the big song festivals in Estonia. One of the songs will showcase a dance troupe from Estonia, “Kajakas,” doncing to the song “Laul Põhjamaast” (“Song of the Northern Land.”)

James Bash

Estonian Golf and Country Club welcomes rock legend Rick Wakeman

The rolling green fairways of the Estonian Golf & Country Club will once again welcome rock legend Rick Wakeman when he returns for his second Golf Classic at the renowned Tallinnvenue.

The European Tour-designed course will host the former Yes rocker and his 80 guests as they compete over the Sea Course - ranked in the Top 100 European Golf Courses - in aid of children's charity SPARKS on Saturday, June 18.

Following the event Wakeman and his band will entertain guests into the night with a concert at the Tallink Spa and Conference Hotel located in the middle of beautiful Tallinn.

Estonian Golf & Country Club - the only European Tour course in Eastern Europe - will provide the perfect setting for those competing as The Sea Course winds its way through forests before opening out alongside the Gulf of Finland and the Jägala River, enjoying stunning views across the gulf.

"I have had the real honour of visiting Estonia at the height of summer and the height of winter, and in both cases I found Tallinn and the surrounding countryside absolutely beautiful," said Rick.

"I first saw the golf course when it was completely enveloped with snow, but when I saw it at the start of the season I simply fell in love with it. It is beautifully designed and a great test of golf for all standards of player. It's certainly a course I would, and indeed have, highly recommended to friends to go and play, and to spend time in Tallinn itself."

Koit Toome at Scotland Yard : 14-05-2011

Estonia's Eurovision entry tipped to qualify

If bookmakers are to be believed, Estonia's Eurovision entry "Rockefeller Street" has a very good chance of successfully making it through the contest's second semifinal round taking place tonight, May 12, in Düsseldorf.

Online betting giant Bet365 is giving Getter Jaani's pulsing pop tune 1:6 odds for qualifying, tying with Romania and Ireland for the spot of third most likely to pass through to the final.

London bookmaker Ladbrokes meanwhile is giving Estonia an even better 1:20 to qualify, and puts it as the second most likely to win, while closer to home NordicBet is offering 1:17, the fourth best odds to make it through tonight's semifinal round.

Oddsmakers at all three companies are picking Bosnia and Herzegovina's "Love in Rewind" to come out on top among the 19 entries competing in the semi.

The numbers should be viewed with a degree of caution however, since Eurovision results are notoriously hard to predict. And the way this year's contest has gone so far should give even more cause for uncertainty, Tobias Larsson, as veteran Eurovision commentator and editor for the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, told ERR News.

"Given the result in the first semi, we can safely conclude that Europe is surprising us a bit this year. When a pre-contest favorite like Norway drops out and an outsider like Lithuania makes it, then you know there is all to play for," he said.

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson to perform in Nokia : October 12th

Legendary vocalist and flutist Ian Anderson, best known as the leader of British rock group Jethro Tull, will be coming to Tallinn this autumn to perform at the Nokia Concert Hall, the venue's management has announced.

Tickets for the concert, which takes place October 12, go on sale to the general public on May 9.

The 63-year-old's music career stretches back to 1962 when he formed The Blades, playing as the band's guitarist. He soon left the electric guitar in favor of the flute, an instrument that would become central to the sound of Jethro Tull, a band he and fellow musicians started in 1967.

In the more than 40 years following Jethro Tull's formation, the group has recorded 20 albums, selling a total of over 60 million copies.

The program for the October concert will be made up of songs Anderson and Jethro Tull have created over the last four decades.

Last month Anderson performed a flute duet with Cady Coleman, an astronaut who was on board the International Space Station, to mark the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's achieving the first manned space flight.

Steve Roman

Alan McKim is big in ... Estonia!

RISING rock star Alan McKim certainly has friends in high places – after the President of Estonia revealed he is a big fan of the Paisley musician.

Politician Toomas Hendrik Ilves was wowed by the 26-year-old Buddie after he played a storming set at an intimate gig in the Baltic nation’s capital city, Tallinn.

Award-winning musician Alan was the only British act to appear at the show at the 300-capacity Von Krahl venue, where President Ilves was guest of honour.

And the 57-year-old statesman – famous for wearing a bow-tie whenever he’s out in public – was highly impressed by the Paisley singer’s storming acoustic set.

President Ilves said afterwards: “The Scottish guy was much more interesting than say David Gray, even though the chord progressions were sometimes quite similar. He is an exciting artist nonetheless.”

Now Alan – who was named Best Acoustic Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards last month – has told the Paisley Daily Express he plans to send President Ilves a copy of his new EP when it is released this weekend.

He added: “It’s a bit crazy to have a president as my biggest fan but I suppose that, if I’m going to have someone from Estonia liking my music, it may as well be the head of state!

“I was stunned when I found out what he had said. It was very nice of him.

Yes to rock Tallinn : Dec. 12th, 2011

The pioneers of progressive rock, Yes, will take the stage on December 12 at the Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn.

Long-time lead singer Jon Anderson will not be joining the band in Tallinn as he left the group in 2008 and is currently touring as a solo artist around the world.

Yes performed in Tallinn for the first time in 2001, bringing together nearly 7,000 fans at the Saku Arena. This time their setlist will include songs new and old, including hits like "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "I've Seen All Good People."

Formed in London in 1968, Yes has sold around 30 million albums worldwide. Despite the occasional break, the band has been on the music scene for 43 years. 

Yes plans to release a new album this year called "Fly from Here," the band's second CD after a 10-year pause.

Ingrid Teesalu

Suzi Quatro to headline at "Narva Biker Festival"

Legendary 1970s rock diva Suzi Quatro will be the headlining act at this year's Narva Bike, an international motorcyclists' festival taking place from July 15 to 17.

The event, to be held on the grounds of Narva Castle, will present 20 rock bands from various countries as well as a motorcycle parade, classic bike rally, laser show, tattoo demonstrations and a Miss NB beauty contest, rus.err.ee reported.

The festival's organizer told ERR News that the precise schedule has yet to be set, but confirmed that Quatro will perform on July 16.

The 60-year-old American rocker made her name in the early 70s with hits such as "Can the Can," "48 Crash" and "Devil Gate Drive." She has retained a cult following in Europe, particularly among the generation who embraced the hard rock craze the Soviet Union underwent in the 1980s.

Steve Roman

Getter Jaani wins Estonia's Eurovision final

Getter Jaani has beat out nearest rival Outloudz to take the top spot in the Eesti Laul, the national competition that determines Estonia's Eurovision Song Contest entry.

In the competition's final round, held in a downtown Tallinn concert hall on February 26, the two contenders scored the highest marks in a 50-50 combination of jury and televoting. The two then faced each other in a last round of televoting, which ended with Estonian viewers picking Jaani's high-energy track "Rockefeller Street" to represent Estonia in Düsseldorf this May.

The song recieved 62 percent of the over 45,000 votes cast in the last televoting round.

Local interest in the event was high - over 1,500 fans paid the 20 euro ticket price to attend the show, prompting the hall's management to put additional upper balcony seats on sale in the hours before the contest started.

As with the two semifinals, the event was hosted by Lenna Kuurmaa and Piret Järvis. Both are members of Vanilla Ninja, the Estonian all-girl rock band that represented Switzerland at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev. Comic actor Ott Sepp joined them in hosting the final.

The public concert was part of this year's newly-expanded Eesti Laul, which Estonian Television widened to include two semifinal rounds.

Eurovision : Five more acts qualify for the final

The second semifinal of the Estonian national selection for Eurovision 2011, Eesti Laul, has just concluded. Five more acts join the line-up for the final: Orelipoiss, Ithaka Maria, MID, Rolf Roosalu and Mimicry go through the final show.

The Estonian final for Eurovision 2011 already has its ten hopefuls selected. The last five qualified tonight from the second semifinal of Eesti Laul. Nine acts were in contention.

The nine performances can be watched on demand here.

Results

The five qualifyers of the night are:

• Orelipoiss
• Ithaka Maria
• MID
• Rolf Roosalu
• Mimicry

Next week's Estonian final will therefore feature the following line-up:

• Getter Jaani – Rockefeller Street
• Jana Kask – Don’t want anything
• Noorkuu – Be my Saturday night
• Outloudz – I wanna meet Bob Dylan
• Victoria – Baby had you
• Orelipoiss - Valss
• Ithaka Maria - Hopa'pa rei!
• MID - Smile
• Rolf Roosalu - All & now
• Mimicry - The storm

Kylie Minogue - Saku Suurhall - 23/02/2011

Ürituse kellaajad:
Uksed avatakse kell 20:00
Ürituse algus kell 21:00

Piletiinfo:
Osta pilet Ticketpro internetipoest
Piletid Kylie Minogue kontserdile müügil Ticketpro müügiesindustes üle Eesti.

Korraldaja:
BDG Music koostöös Live Nationiga
www.fbi.ee

Esmakordselt Eestit külastav KYLIE MINOGUE annab 23. veebruaril Tallinnas Saku Suurhallis kontserdi suursuguse “Aphrodite – Les Folies Tuor 2011” maailmaturnee raames. KYLIE MINOGUE seekordsest showst tõotab tulla lauljanna sõnul tema karjääri üks silmapaistvamaid verstaposte. “Mul on hea meel, et minu uus album “Aphrodite” on niivõrd hästi vastu võetud, see inspireerib mind ja minu meeskonda tegema sellest showst erilise vaatemängu – võrreldes varasemaga tahame pakkuda fännidele veelgi suuremat rõõmu – etendust, mis on algusest lõpuni kõiki meeli köitev, kaasahaarav, tulvil sära ja glamuuri”, kommenteeris Kylie Minogue showd, kuid mille üksikasju hoitakse veel saladuskatte all.
 
Kylie Minogue peadpööritav karjäär lauljana algas 1987. aastal, mil ilmus tema esimene hittsingel “Locomotive”. Aastate jooksul on järgnenud 11 edukat stuudioalbumit, 7 suurejoonelist maailmaturneed, lugematul hulgal kuld ja plaatina plaate ning maailma edetabelite tippu jõudnud singleid. Selle aasta juulis ilmunud album “Aphrodite” on saanud palju positiivset vastukaja ning selle esimene singel “All the Lovers” platseerus kohe edetabelite tippudesse kõikjal Euroopas. Tänaseks võib Kylie Minogue’d pidada kindlasti maailma tuntuimaks nais popartistiks, kelle uusi plaate ning kontserte oodatakse suure põnevusega. Kylie ise peab oma publikut selleks edasitõukavaks jõuks, mis annab talle pikkadeks kontserttuurideks jõudu ning energiat.

KYLIE uus maailmaturnee algab 2011. aasta 19. veebruaril Taanis. Tallinnas 23. veebruaril toimuv kontsert on järjekorras kolmas riik, kus saab näha KYLIE glamuurset showd. KYLIE on kinnitanud, et on algavaks tuuriks igati valmis. “Ma ei jõua ära oodata, et taas 2011. aasta alguses tuurile pääsen ja kõiki oma fänne näen”, rääkis Kylie Minogue.

Estonia : 5 acts qualify for the final

The first semifinal of the Estonian selection for Eurovision 2011, Eesti Laul, has taken place tonight. Ten acts competed, five of which have qualified for the national final.

This year's Eesti Laul will feature two semifinals, with 10 participants each. Five acts will qualify from each show, making a final with 10 participants. The Estonian representative will be selected on February 26th with a mixture of jury vote and televoting at a 50% split.

Results

These are the five acts to qualify for the final:

• Getter Jaani – Rockefeller Street
• Jana Kask – Don’t want anything
• Noorkuu – Be my Saturday night
• Outloudz – I wanna meet Bob Dylan
• Victoria – Baby had you

esctoday.com poll

Our readers managed to predict correctly 3/5 qualifyers of the first semifinal of Eesti Laul. Getter Jaani were the clear favourite of the voters, with a massive support (51%). Second was Jana Kask with 16.1% and third Victoria (8.1%). Outloudz and Noorkuu didn't make the top-5 in our poll. Outloudz was close, ending up 6th. Noorkuu came second last.

Estonia picks its first Eurovision finalists

The first semifinal round of the Eesti Laul, the national competition that determines Estonia's Eurovision Song Contest entry, has ended, with the first five contestants securing places in the February 26 final.

Clouds of hairspray and women in bright, pink tights dominated the backstage areas of the ETV studios for the Saturday night event, which was hosted by two members of the Estonian all-blonde rock band, Vanilla Ninja. 
Of the ten contenders taking part in the round, Getter Jaani's high-energy pulsing pop song "Rockefeller Street" was the first to get the green light from judges and televoters. 

Others who made it through to the final were Jana Kask with her mellow rock tune "Don't Want Anything," jazzy boy band Noorkuu with "Be My Saturday Night," Outloudz with their sophisticated track "I Wanna Meet Bob Dylan," and Victoria with her pop-like "Baby Had You."
A second semifinal will be held on February 19 to fill the remainder of the slots in the final.

This year is the first that Estonia is using a semifinal system. Eesti Laul spokesman Uko Urb told ERR News that the change was made to allow a greater number of up-and-coming artists to gain exposure from the event.

The 20 semifinalists were chosen by a jury from a starting pool of 140 entries submitted at the end of last year.
This year's Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Düsseldorf in the first half of May.

Steve Roman

Lenna Kuurmaa and Piret Järvis to host Eesti Laul semifinals

The semifinals of the 2011 Eesti Laul, Estonia's national selection for Eurovision, will be hosted by Piret Järvis and Lenna Kuurmaa. They both tried to represent the country last year - Piret with the group Disko 4000 and Lenna with her own band.

Piret Jarvis recalls her participations in the Estonian national finals, and shares her feelings about the new role she is going to play at Eesti Laul: "I've taken part with Vanilla Ninja in former Eurolaul and with my new band in Eesti Laul. Now it's a good opportunity to let the others take part and contribute to the most important local song contest".

In her opinion, the list of participants is varied, interesting and the two semifinals system makes the whole competition more exciting.

According to Lenna Kuurmaa, the offer by the organisers to host the show was a pleasant surprise and she is willingly ready to take the challenge.

The first semifinal of Eesti Laul 2011 will be held on February 12, while the 2nd semifinal will take place on February 19th. The 5 songs getting the most votes in each show will qualify for the final, scheduled to be held on February 26th at the Nokia Concert Hall.

All the participating songs can be listened to and voted on Eesti Laul's official website. You can also pick your favourite here.

Thanks to Märten for the submission of the information.