Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Celebrates 45th Birthday in Tallinn

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir marks its 45th anniversary on 1 July 2026. Celebratory concerts took place throughout June in various locations across Estonia, including at the Tallinn Culture Cauldron, where conductor Tõnu Kaljuste led a special performance of music by Veljo Tormis. The final anniversary concert will be held today at Omari Barn on Naissaar.

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir marks its 45th anniversary on 1 July 2026, almost half a century after Tõnu Kaljuste founded the ensemble in 1981 on the basis of the Ellerhein chamber choir singers.

Concert at Tallinn Culture Cauldron

On 30 June, a celebratory anniversary concert titled "Veljo Tormis. Songs for Women and Men" was held at the Tallinn Culture Cauldron, conducted by the choir's founder and current principal conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. The audience received the concert standing, with ovations lasting a long time. The programme featured two song cycles by Tormis: "Women's Songs" based on older folk songs and "Men's Songs" based on newer folk material. Ingmar Jõela wove these together with the conductor into a unified theatrical whole.

The concert was also special in that soloists were drawn from / the soloist roles were performed by the choir's own singers, and a Tilgu band consisting of choir members took the stage. Kaljuste wished to emphasise that all chamber choir members are also strong soloists. The conductor himself remained largely in the background this time, and was not seen on stage in the middle conducting before the audience.

Kaljuste's Message: "Feel Joy in What Is Good"

Kaljuste's address carried a broader message. "We don't know what tomorrow will bring, we must be ready for everything, but now we must feel joy in what is good," he said. The conductor was mindful not only of the choir's top level, but also of the world's fragility from a security perspective.

The circle of anniversary concerts began in June and took the choir to various locations across Estonia: Viinistu Boiler House, Viljandi Museum of Estonian Folk Music, Triigi Philharmonic Hall and Tallinn Culture Cauldron. Today, 1 July, the final anniversary concert of the season will be given at Omari Barn on Naissaar.

45 Years to the World's Top

Over four and a half decades, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir has become one of the world's most acclaimed vocal collectives. The ensemble has performed at London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Carnegie Hall, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, Vienna's Musikverein and Sydney Opera House. From the choir's over 80 recordings, 16 have been Grammy-nominated and the Grammy Award has been won twice. British media outlets have selected the chamber choir twice among the world's ten best choirs.

The choir's principal conductors over the years have been Tõnu Kaljuste (1981-2001), British conductor Paul Hillier (2001-2007), Dutchman Daniel Reuss (2008-2013) and Latvian conductor Kaspars Putniņš (2014-2021). Since August 2021, Kaljuste has again been the choir's artistic director and principal conductor.