How can we tell whether the phrase “paradigm shift” is being used in line with Thomas Kuhn’s definition—or simply as intellectual decoration? The word itself Paradigm: “The most overused and misused word in the English language; employed by stupid people to sound smart, or by smart people to sound unintentionally stupid.” — Urban Dictionary What… Continue reading
I face the same challenge every Christmas: piecing songs together from random internet sources to play holiday music at home. They’re rarely in a convenient key or format! This year, my son’s early excitement for the holidays—starting with the first snow in mid-November—inspired me to get into the Christmas spirit sooner. So, I decided to… Continue reading
On March 23, 2024, I had the pleasure of performing in a live broadcast concert celebrating the 50th birthday of Ardo Ran Varres. The event, held in the 1st studio of the Estonian Public Broadcast, showcased a diverse selection of his instrumental concert music, featuring both contemporary and historical instruments, as well as electronic soundscapes…. Continue reading
A Baroque Opera with a Contemporary Edge Since its premiere on November 4, 2023, Vanemuine Theatre’s Handel’s Giulio Cesare production has captivated audiences. As a basso continuo player, I have the unique opportunity to bring historical performance to life in this bold staging. Directed by Elmo Nüganen, this staging blends historical performance with modern political symbolism, making it… Continue reading
The Tallinn Baroque Orchestra celebrated the April 1st with a program of folías and dances mostly from the renaissance era. The folías are associated with foolishness which makes a good connection to the tradition of April Fools. Our orchestra’s leader, composer, arranger, program author, mentor, and harpist Andrew Lawrence-King on the origin of the folías:… Continue reading
Something new and exciting is happening in the early music scene of Estonia. I’m lending the text from a program leaflet of yesterday’s concert, written by Taavi-Mats Utt: “The Tallinn Baroque Orchestra (TBO) has been active for 36 years – it was founded in 1987 by Ivan Monighetti, Taivo Niitvägi, and Egmont Välja. TBO was… Continue reading
February began with performing some baroque music with my good colleagues from the ensemble Floridante. The concert was part of the annual MustonenFest, a long-standing international music festival that explores music from different genres and centuries. The program is put together by the legendary violinist and founder of the 50-year-old early music ensemble Hortus Musicus,… Continue reading
This research paper was written in 2013 as part of my Ph.D. studies in the educational technology program at the University of Tartu. I submitted it to Music Education Research, but it was not accepted. I did not resubmit it, and now, ten years later, I am publishing it here. This article is very interesting;… Continue reading
December 28.-29. 2022. Corelli Baroque Orchestra Soloists, Tartu Youth Choir, conductors Martin Sildos and Markus Leppoja. Tartu St. Paul’s and Tallinn St. John’s. The Corelli private agency organizes at least two annual orchestra projects: Eastern and Christmas. However, this time the orchestra was down to a handful of players, so let’s better call in an… Continue reading
The album “A Forgotten Day,” featuring author songs and poems by well-known poets, reflects on life in all its emotional shades, speaking of longing, hope, disappointment, pain, and joy, but above all, love. “Since the beginning of time, the theme of loneliness, the need for understanding and love has touched people. Today, this need is… Continue reading