Estonian Cultural Days in New York 2022!
The Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters invites you to the Estonian Cultural Festival in New York taking place from March 31 through April 2, 2022. As the Foundation celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, we have curated an exceptional program that showcases the rich variety of Estonian arts. We welcome our friends to celebrate this anniversary with us by immersing themselves in this cultural experience.
Because the war in Ukraine has necessarily cast a shadow on our festival, we have made support for Ukraine part of the program. The festival opens with a Virtual Match & Buy event which matches US businesses with Ukrainian services. Also, our final concert entitled “Forgive Us Ukraine,” presented by top Estonian chamber choir, Collegium Musicale, will perform works by many Estonian composers including Arvo Pärt, for which all proceeds will be donated to support the people of Ukraine.
Highlighting the festival will be a concert by bass opera singer Ain Anger, bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann and pianist Kristjan Randalu, who will premiere Tõnu Kõrvits’ new work, “The Mystic Trumpeter.” The festival also features performances by Estonia’s top folk music ensemble, Curly Strings, which will also tour Washington DC and Boston, and Estonian rap superstars nublu and Gameboy Tetris.
The Vanemuine Estonian theatre group will perform “Good Girls Go to Heaven,” (in Estonian). Estonia’s cutting edge design shop, Kummardus Tallinn Design House, will introduce us to its designs via video. Estonian cuisine can be sampled throughout the whole festival at pop-up restaurant Põhjaka. Art exhibitions include Viljandi Cultural Academy’s “Heritage Magnifier” collection, street art from Tartu, and Estonian themed works by local Estonian artist Uno Habakukk.
The festival features two films, “Tree of Eternal Love,” with filmmakers on site to discuss their work, and for music lovers, a documentary film about Collegium Musicale entitled “In the Footsteps of Forgotten Peoples.”
The festival’s theme of Estonian culture abroad will be explored in a panel including Estonia’s Cultural minister Tiit Terik, the Estonian NY Consulate’s cultural affairs coordinator Jaanika Peerna, Toronto’s KESKUS project manager Ellen Valter, and Tõnu Viitas from the San Franciso Estonian Society.
The festival is made possible through the generous support of The Estonian Ministry of Culture, The Estonian Consulate in New York, Enterprise Estonia, Estonian American National Council, The Estonian Student Fund in USA, Estonian Relief Committee, The New Yok Estonian House, The New York Estonian Educational Society, The Nordic Press, The International Trade Council, Startup Wise Guys, The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, and individual donors.
We hope to see you at the Estonian Cultural Festival on March 31 through April 2, 2022.
For more information and to register: http://www.estonianculture.org/culturaldays
