Estonian TV Girls’ Choir to visit Sydney in July. ????? Between Monday 15 – Sunday 21 July 2019 the Estonian TV Girls’ Choir conducted by Aarne Saluveer will be performing in Sydney as part of the Gondwana World Choral Festival.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Sydney Children’s Choir, the festival will include concerts, recitals, workshops, masterclasses and panel discussions.
The eight nations, and around 1500 singers, attending are considered the elite athletes of children’s choirs, according to Australian choir director Lyn Williams OAM.
With gala concerts at the Sydney Opera House, and Sydney Conservatorium of Music, this will be an international choral event to remember!
Other International guest choirs include Riga Cathedral Girls’ Choir (Aira Birzina), Boston Children’s Choir (Anthony Trecek-King), La Cigale de Lyon (Anne-Marie Cabut), Toronto Children’s Chorus (Elise Bradley) and the Young Adelaide Voices (Christie Anderson)
To all the members, friends and colleagues of the Estonian Relief Committee (ERC):
The ERC has prepared a survey regarding the future of Estonian House in Sydney to its members, friends and colleagues, seeking their input regarding this matter. This survey is found at the following link and we urge everyone who has had any involvement with Sydney Estonian House to complete and lodge the survey. It will only take a few minutes.
At last year’s Eesti Vabariigi aastapäeva aktus I deliberately spoke in Estonian. It was essential on that critical day, in my view to honour Estonia by speaking it’s language. But many of our younger generation genuinely struggle with the Estonian language, and so as not to alienate them and to help them better understand their Estonian ancestry, this time I will speak in English.
Eesti Vabariigi aastapäeva aktus 2019
If you are anything like me you are probably wondering where 2018 went. Today one year ago we were celebrating Estonia’s 100th birthday, yet now we are assembled here again to celebrate Estonia’s 101st birthday.
Relatively little has happened here in Australia, on a nation-building scale. However what happened in Estonia during that same twelve months, 100 years ago during that precarious first year of Estonia’s existence after the Declaration of Independence was issued on 24 February 1918, was absolutely critical and things were literally on a knife’s edge.
If you indulge me, I will provide a quick summary of that critical twelve months between 24 February 1918 and 24 February 1919 (today 100 years ago).
First a bit of a recap. In early 1918 following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Russian state was in relative disarray – and it was in this context that the German Army began their offensive against Estonia on 18 February 1918. As the Russian Army and the Bolsheviks fled the country, it left a power vacuum before the arrival of the German troops. Within the space of a week (ie. between 20-26 February) with the help of Estonian national brigades that had, up to then been part of the Russian Army, Estonian politicians took power in all country towns in Estonia (except for Võru). The Estonian Declaration of Independence was read out to the public for the first time on the evening of 23 February, in Pärnu. However, by convention Independence Day is not celebrated on that day, but on the next day 24 February, as this is when the Salvation Committee of Estonia took power in Tallinn and formed the Estonian Provisional Government (led by Prime Minister Konstantin Päts).
Thus Estonia’s first period independence commenced, but it practically lasted only a few days.
The Germans arrived very soon and immediately placed Estonia under a military dictatorship. The Provisional Estonian Government and the Declaration of Independence were not recognised, even banned. Estonian political; leaders were arrested or fled the country. Within two weeks, by 4 March 1918, the whole of Estonia had been occupied by the Germans. The Bolsheviks had all fled back to Russia.
During the next 9 months of German occupation the Estonian nation could do very little, but prepare behind the scenes. It was a promising gesture, that in May 1918, Great Britain, France and Italy (who were all at war with Germany) gave de-facto recognition of Estonia as an independent free nation, and did not recognise the illegal German occupation.
However, it was the German nation’s very own and unexpected ‘November Revolution’ in their homeland that allowed Estonia’s leaders to exploit the subsequent general confusion of the occupying Germans in Estonia. The underground Estonian Provisional Government quickly took the opportunity to reconvene in Tallinn on 11 November 1918 (yes, this is Armistice Day on the Western Front, the end of World War 1) to commence the transfer of power from the demoralised Germans.
So remember – Armistice Day 11th November – the surrender of the Germans in WWI – is the very day the Estonian nation seized the moment to seek regain it’s independence. Next time you salute the Australian flag on 11 November, remember the alternative untold back story involving your heritage.
The Germans agreed to formally transfer all power over to the Estonian Provisional Government, at noon on 21 November 1918, ten days after Armistice Day, when hostilities ceased on the Western Front. However, Communist Russia was having no bar of this so-called new independent nation, and saw itself as the rightful heir to the former Czarist empire, including Estonia and the other two Baltic States.
Unfortunately for the Estonians, World War 1 would continue on, despite the Armistice. Just a mere seven days after the departing Germans had handed over power to the Estonian Provisional Government, the Bolsheviks launched their attack on Estonia, commencing with the Battle of Narva, on 28 November 1918.
With this attack, the actual Estonian War of Independence had begun, and the war would last another 14 bloody months until the Peace Treaty of Tartu was finally signed with Soviet Russia on 2 February 1920.
However back in November 1918, the new nation of Estonia was in fact unprepared, and exhausted after four previous years of WWI, the Estonian soldiers had low morale and lacked arms and sufficient trained men. So initially the Red Army was quickly able to capture vast areas of Estonia. Within a couple of weeks Viru, Võru and Tartu counties fell, as well as parts of Harju, Järva, Viljandi and Pärnu counties. By Christmas Day 1918, a hundred years ago, the front line was approaching Tallinn, Paide, Viljandi and Pärnu.
By any person’s assessment, the situation was looking quite hopeless, so in an act of desperation on 27 December 1918 (virtually just a month after the War of Independence began) the Provisional Government of Estonia contacted Great Britain and requested their help to fight the Red Army. Great Britain was reluctant to send troops, but (thanks mainly to Winston Churchill) the British instead sent their warships to Tallinn carrying much needed munitions & weapons for the Estonian armed forces. British naval ships also took over the maritime defence of Estonia’s coastline, to defend against Russian warships.
The British squadron’s arrival brought a huge positive effect on the morale of Estonian troops, as did the arrival of Finnish volunteers to Estonia on New Year’s Eve in 1918. In addition to our northern cousins, the Estonian Army suddenly had the assistance of the White Russian, Latvian, Ingrian, Baltic German, Danish & Swedish volunteer units who had all come to help us. The fledgling Estonian nation suddenly realised – we were not alone! The key turning point in Estonia’s War of Independence thus came during the most depressing days of late December 1918. It was then that people who valued nationhood came to the realisation that they needed to protect their homeland, and to cast aside the fear of Russia’s might and size that had been instilled in them for centuries. Slowly, but with increasing pace, one after another, volunteer battalions of Estonians were formed, given fresh arms, and set off to defend their new nation. These volunteers included many schoolboys, university students, young intellectuals and women.
By the first week of January 1919, the Red Army’s advance was halted in many small ‘breakthrough battles’, after which the Reds were resisted everywhere across the front. The tide of war turned!
By February 1919, this very time 100 years ago today, the Red Army had been pushed back – completely beyond the Estonian border.
The Estonian War of Independence did not end there, of course. On the contrary, the leaders of the Red Army, who had initially mistakenly believed the Estonians would not defend themselves, now began to take the war of Independence more seriously and amassed far more powerful forces against Estonia.
Thus, from now, February through to May 1919, 100 years ago today, fierce battles would be waged on the southern front of Estonia. And worse, in June 1919 Estonia would be attacked by another new foe – the German Landeswehr and German Freikorps. And later on, the Estonian Army would then go on to help the Latvians defeat their occupiers, in one massive battle on Latvian soil – the Battle of Cesis – that is still commemorated each year to this day by Estonians by a national public holiday – Võidupüha – on 23rd June .
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. That is another chapter of history – and it will not be until the next Vabariigi aastapäev in February 2020 that we will be able to properly commemorate and remember what happened 100 years ago.
EV100 is after all, a three-year long celebration – from 1918 to 1920. I hope you will forgive me for my rather long history lesson. But as someone wiser than me once told me – if you don’t remember the past then you have no reference points for living the future. Or as my father Raivo once told me – Kui sul ei ole meeles mineviku, siis sul ei ole õiget tuleviku.
Each year on the 24th February, Estonians celebrate their Independence Day. This year, around 120 people gathered at the Estonian House in Sydney.
Honorary consul of the Estonian Republic, Sulev Kalamäe, gave a speech and also read a speech from AESL chairman Lembit Marder. Sulev presented the AESL awards to Koidula Muttik and Mart Rampe.
Tiina Tamm, chairman of Estonian Society of Sydney, welcomed guests and was happy to see so many kids performing.
There was a powerful performance by Kooskõlas choir (conducted by Kieran Scott) who took audience to “Laulupidu” (a sneak peak of the Laulupidu repertoire), “Lõke” and two Children’s folk dancing groups: “Lepatriinud” (Sirje Perendi-Cook) and “Rebased” (Steven Buchert).
A blue-black and white cake (pastry chefs Tiina Tamm and Aet Madison) was served and enjoyed by all!
Please join us this Sunday 24th February for a lovely gathering to celebrate 101 years of The Republic of Estonia! Program consists of songs, dances and speeches and Estonian Society of Sydney will also provide some coffee and cake.
Start from 2pm At the Sydney Estonian House 141 Campbell St, Surry Hills
Kutsume kõiki eestlasi ja Eesti sõpru meie Bribane’i Eesti Seltsi aastakoosolekule ja Eesti Vabariigi 101. aastapäeva tähistamisele! Läupäev 23. veebruaril 13.00 Läti majas, 24 Church Ave, Woolloongabba
Join us for Independence Day celebrations and the Brisbane Estonian Society (BES) Annual General Meeting (AGM). Saturday 23 February at 1.00pm @ Latvian Hall, 24 Church Ave, Woolloongabba
Curious to learn more about our Guest Speaker, Kätriin Kristal, we askeda few introductory questions:
25 y.o . from the little parish (town) of Märjamaa
2015 ~ graduated from Tallinn University as a Preschool Teacher, after which I came to Australia. In the last year of university, I worked as a teacher in Tallinn Tihase Kindergarten.
March 2016 ~ started working at the Estonian playgroup and worked as a nanny for 2 years.
January 2018 ~ finally got my degree accredited by ACECQA, and since then I have been working in childcare (in Brisbane) as a Teacher.
March 2018 ~ we decided to put together a folk dance group, I turned up to be teacher there as well! J
Kohtad palju sõbralikke inimesi kellel, nagu sinulgi, on südames – EESTI EESTI EESTI!
Meet friendly like-minded people who share your passion for – EESTI EESTI EESTI!
Palun võta kaasa midagi ühisele lauale panemiseks. Bring a plate to share for afternoon tea. 2019 DISCOUNTED MEMBERSHIP FEES!! Pensioners – $2 Adults – $2 Kids – Free
We hope you will join us, Brisbane Estonian Society
e-Estonia and what we can learn from it – featuring Martin Talvari from Myriad and Anhar Khanbhai from TransferWise.
EACCI and KJR have teamed up to bring you a night of networking, speakers and information on e-Estonia. Please join us on Thursday 7 March at Sydney Estonian House, 141 Campbell Street, Surry Hills NSW. Following right after the AGM, doors will open 5.30pm for 6pm start.
Dr Mark Pedersen, CTO at KJR will be moderating a panel interview on the topic “e-Estonia and what we can learn from the experience”. The interview will feature such inspirational panellists as:
Martin Talvari, founder of Myriad, one of the biggest technology and innovation events in Asia-Pacific. Each year Myriad attracts a growing crowd of influential thinkers, entrepreneurs and experts. Presenters ranging from global thought leaders and international brands to Australia’s best entrepreneurs and investors
Anhar Khanbhai, PR Manager ANZ at TransferWise, global money transfer service. Founded by two Estonians in 2010 with the vision of making international money transfer cheap, fair and simple – TransferWise moves over $4 billion a month, saving its users combined $4 million in fees each day. Now with the borderless account customers can hold over 40 currencies at once and convert them when needed.
Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 5pm – 6:30pm at the Sydney Estonian House.
What does it mean when you, as a child, suddenly have to leave your home because your country is in a war and your family is in danger? What does it mean when you have to leave your loved ones, everything and everyone you knew behind?
This is the story told in the documentary Coming home soon. It is the story of Estonian children who fled Estonia in 1944 with their mothers, siblings and sometimes with their fathers as well. They didn’t know where the dangerous roads would take them, and when they made it to the refugee camps, they knew, this was temporary.
Geislingen was an Estonian Assembly centre where some 4000 Estonians lived for more than 5 years. The camp became a small Estonia with schools, workshops, post office, hospital, newspaper, theatre, orchestra, choirs… Estonians themselves were in charge of organizing the camp. Geislingen was a home for the refugees 5 years and then the residents had to depart once more leaving their friends and familiar surroundings behind to start all over again in a new country, in a new place unknown to them.
The film Coming home soon explores the influence which the experiences at Geislingen had on the lives of the Estonian refugees and their children. It is a story about how to cope with extremely difficult circumstances, how to overcome your past and build a successful future. It is a story of hope and inspiration.
Director, producer Helga Merits
52m | Documentary
The lights go out and the movie starts at Sydney Estonian House (141 Campbell Street, Surry Hills) on the 3rd of March at 5pm. Ticket $8 (SES members $5)
Estonian folk-tronica duo Maarja Nuut and Ruum are headed to our shores for their inaugural Australian tour playing headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney this March!
Top Shelf presents MAARJA NUUT and RUUM Australian Tour 2019
Thursday 7 March – Howler – MELBOURNE
Friday 8 March – 505 – SYDNEY
Also appearing at WOMADELAIDE
(March 9 – 11) and WOMAD NZ (March 15-17)
The sound of Maarja
Nuut and Ruum is the velvet
clash of disparate voices from a shared cultural heritage colliding. Nuut is a vocalist and violinist with a
love for the old traditional songs of her homeland, while Ruum – whose birth name is Hendrik Kaljujärv – has favoured
electronic music since his earliest musical forays.
Yet when creating in unison, the shared aesthetic of Maarja Nuut and Ruum forges a beguiling musical interzone: connecting the deep-rooted,
intuitive worldview of days past with the hyper-mediated realities and
seemingly limitless technological possibilities of the present and future.
Having been drawn together in the summer of 2016 to concoct
a collaborative piece for the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, Maarja Nuut and Ruum soon discovered a strong musical bond continually pulling them
together, a creative spark which dragged them from both from their respective
comfort zones.
“In this collaboration we both bring in our sound tools and
musical thinking to the process,” Maarja
Nuut offers. “Then each complements the other in their own ways. It’s been
a long process finding the balance, but I love the fact we both have space to
express ourselves and somehow in the end these different worlds come together
as something rather natural.”
The culmination of this strange-but-perfect union was 2018’s
acclaimed debut collaborative album Muunduja, a remarkable, often
stimulating listen which The Quietus called,
“one of the year’s most beautiful journeys through inner and outer space.”
With Maarja Nuut utilising violin, looper, vocal experiments and keyboard to capture her inner narratives and Ruum
providing an abstract and mysterious electronic framework, their
upcoming shows in Melbourne and Sydney promise to be as cerebrally
confronting as they are entrancing.
“Maarja Nuut is driven, hiding in plain sight, and sometimes too open or overly painstaking in picking out her creative path. Yet she is determined to make her mark, to show that the world in her head is actually all around us if we just take a moment to feel its presence. In doing so she and Hendrik Kaljujärv have made what must be one of the records of the year.” The Quietus
“Muunduja – the duo’s new album – embraces in-betweenness, evoking both wake and sleep, organic embraces and cold steel, here and hereafter.” Noisey
“…a haunting journey over fresh terrain: features might look familiar but known qualities dissolve on closer inspection leaving only the pleasure of the new.” Pop Matters
My name is Tuuli-Emily Liivat, and I am from Finland. Born in Tartu but having lived in Tampere for the past 7 years, I am currently studying on the IB programme at Tampere Lyceum. I am one of thousands of young Estonians around the world.
This summer is the ESTO 2019 festival, which will take place on June 27-28 in Helsinki, June 29-30 in Tartu, and July 1-3 in Tallinn. ESTO 2019, or the XII Global Estonian Culture Festival, is meant to bring together the Estonian diaspora to strengthen our relationships, minds and feelings of belonging. The tradition of ESTO began in 1972, when Estonians who had fled their homeland gathered together in Toronto, Canada to celebrate our culture and traditions. The first Global Estonian Culture days began due to the Estonians living in Sweden and has now grown into a huge Estonian tradition, which includes many smaller festivals that value our common cultural heritage and are regularly organized in countries where Estonians reside. This will be the second time ESTO is held in Estonia, this time with a new message.
The theme of ESTO 2019 is “Our Future,” and the focus is on the Estonian youth around the world. It offers Estonian youth living abroad the opportunity to participate in ESTO 2019 as a youth delegate and to contribute to the creation of a global network of Estonian youth. We invite young people to represent the Estonian community of their home country.
We are looking for 1-4 young Estonians from each country to be youth delegates. The final number of delegates depends on the size of the Estonian community in the respective country. Delegates can participate in the entire ESTO 2019 youth program, where there will be a Youth and Future Seminar in Helsinki, a Youth Congress in Tartu, and the National Congress in Tallinn. As well, there will be many interesting activities to participate in such as youth nights, excursions, study visits and sports activities.
The type of delegate we are looking for is a 16-26 year old youth with Estonian roots, who is able to communicate proficiently in Estonian and is ready and willing to contribute to the creation of a global network of Estonian youth. Additionally, we expect the delegate to have the courage and desire to express their thoughts to their peers and talk about the future of Estonians.
Travel expenses will be reimbursed, and accomodation and meals will be arranged. The entire ESTO 2019 program in Finland and Estonia is free for the youth delegates! If this interests you and you want to be an active young Estonian in the global cooperation network, then fill in the youth delegate registration form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5nZgU5tiBgSR_FAr1qClqDCgA7ywUEJFiqL-oXLuk2OIneg/viewform
https://www.facebook.com/esto2019
Registration is open until February 28, 2019 at 11:00pm (Estonian time)
There is more information on the website , youth page or Facebook
Tuuli-Emily Liivat ESTO 2019 Director of Youth Activities tuuli-emily@estofestival.com +358400988111 www.estofestival.com
***
Hea noor!
Olen Tuuli-Emily Liivat Soomest. Õpin Tampere lütseumi 11. klassis IB-programmis. Olen sündinud Tartus ja elanud Tamperes 7 aastat. Olen üks tuhandetest eesti noortest üle ilma.
Korraldame sellel suvel koos väga vahva noortegrupiga ESTO 2019 festivali, mis toimub 27.-28.juunil Helsingis, 29.-30.juunil Tartus ja 1.-3.juulil Tallinnas.
ESTO 2019 ehk XII ülemaailmsete eesti kultuuripäevade eesmärk on tuua üle maailma laiali pillutatud eesti kogukonnad taas kokku, tugevdada üleilmset eestlust, eesti meelt ja ühtekuuluvustunnet.
ESTO traditsioon pärineb aastast 1972, kui sõjakeerises sünnimaalt põgenenud eestlased kogunesid Torontos Kanadas, et üheskoos au sisse tõsta eesti kultuur ja traditsioonid. Esimesed kultuuripäevad käivitusid tänu rootsi-eestlaste südikusele ning tänaseks on tollest algatusest välja kasvanud üks suur ESTO traditsioon ja rida väiksemaid, meie ühist kultuuri väärtustavaid festivale, mida eestlaste asukohamaades regulaarselt korraldatakse. Sünnimaale Eestisse jõuab ESTO sel suvel teist korda, kuid uue sõnumiga.
ESTO 2019 teema on “Meie tulevik” ja fookuses on eesti noored üle ilma. Pakume välismaal elavatele eesti noortele võimalust osaleda ESTO-l noordelegaadina ja aidata kaasa üleilmse eesti noorte koostöövõrgustiku loomisele. Kutsume noori esindama oma asukohamaa eesti kogukonda.
Ootame igast riigist 1-4 noort noordelegaadiks. Delegaatide arv sõltub vastava riigi eesti kogukonna suurusest. Delegaadid saavad osaleda kogu ESTO 2019 noorteprogrammis, kus on olulisel kohal Noorte- ja tulevikuseminar Helsingis, Noortekongress Tartus ja Rahvuskongress Tallinnas. Lisaks on ka palju teisi huvitavaid tegevusi (noorteõhtud, ekskursioonid, õppekülastused, sportlikud tegevused).
Delegaadiks sobib 16-26 aastane Eesti juurtega noor, kes valdab suhtlustasandil eesti keelt ja on valmis panustama eesti noorte üleilmse koostöövõrgustiku loomisesse. Lisaks ootame, et delegaadil on esinemisjulgus ja soov kaaslaste ees mõtteid avaldada ning kaasa rääkida eestluse tuleviku teemadel.
Delegaadile kompenseeritakse reisikulu, korraldatakse majutus ja toitlustamine. Kogu ESTO 2019 programm nii Soomes kui Eestis on noordelegaadile tasuta!
Kui kõik eelpool kirjutatu sind kõnetab ja sina soovid olla aktiivne noor eesti noorte üleilmses koostöövõrgustikus, siis täida noordelegaadi registreerimisvorm siin!
A new beginners Estonian Class is starting at the Sydney Estonian House on Monday, 14th of January at 6.30 pm.
There will be an opportunity to discuss administrative details, e.g. the times, location, the fee and books for classes with the teacher, Ms Nele Ilves
The class for more advanced students will continue on Wednesdays at 6.30pm.
Bus 304 from Circular Quay stops in front of the Estonian House, and is a short walk from Oxford Street buses and Central station
For more information, contact:
Tiiu Salasoo The Coordinator of Estonian Studies for the Council of Estonian Societies in Australia 94363844 or salasoo@ihug.com.au
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra in a celebration of Bach and Arvo Pärt.
Sydney, Sat 2 Feb, 7pm
Sydney, Sun 3 Feb, 2pm (Sydney Opera House)
Sydney, Tue 5 Feb, 8pm
Sydney, Wed 6 Feb, 7pm
Canberra, Sat 9 Feb, 8pm
Melbourne, Sun 10 Feb, 2.30pm
Melbourne, Mon 11 Feb, 7.30pm
Adelaide, Tue 12 Feb, 7.30pm
Perth, Wed 13 Feb, 7.30pm
From the Australian Chamber Orchestra
Richard Tognetti opens our 2019 Season with a program that will reach celestial heights. The famed Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir joins us in a celebration of Bach and Arvo Pärt. Ethereal and otherworldly, this is music by two towering composers searching for the very core of human meaning.
Bach’s sublime Lutheran motets interleave with Pärt’s mystical explorations of the Orthodox faith, before reaching the climax of the program: Pärt’s Berliner Messe.
Fellow Estonian Galina Grigorjeva’s In Paradisum, with its joyous call on the angels to lead souls into heaven, leads our own program into paradise, while Peter Sculthorpe’s Djilile, inspired by Indigenous song, makes a resonant Australian introduction to Pärt’s luminous Messe.
