PROGRAMME
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Titus’s aria “Ah, se fosse intorno al trono” / “Ah, if all hearts around the throne were so sincere” / “Ah, If Every Heart Around the Throne Were So Sincere”
from the opera “La clemenza di Tito” / “The Clemency of Titus”
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
Dalila’s aria “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix” / “My Heart Opens to Your Voice” / “My Heart Opens to Your Voice”
from the opera “Samson et Dalila”
Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
– Elsa’s aria “Einsam in trüben Tagen” / “Alone in Dark Days” / “Alone in Dark Days”
– Lohengrin’s aria “In fernem land” / “In a Distant Land” / “In a Distant Land”
from the opera “Lohengrin”
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
Suzuki and Butterfly’s Flower Duet “Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio” / “Shake That Cherry Tree Branch” / “Shake That Cherry Tree Branch”
from the opera “Madama Butterfly” / “Madame Butterfly”
Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
– Seguidilla “Près des remparts de Séville” / “Near the Walls of Seville” / “Near the Walls of Seville”
– Micaëla’s aria “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” / “I Say That Nothing Frightens Me” / “I Say That Nothing Frightens Me”
– Carmen’s Habanera “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” / “Love Is a Rebellious Bird” / “Love Is a Rebellious Bird”
from the opera “Carmen”
Giacomo Puccini
Musetta’s aria “Quando me’n vo’” / “When I Go Along” / “When I Go Along”
from the opera “La bohème” / “La Bohème”
Franz Lehár (1870–1948)
– Octavio’s aria “Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert” / “Friends, Life Is Worth Living” / “Friends, Life Is Worth Living”
from the operetta “Giuditta”
– Hanna and Danilo’s duet “Lippen schweigen” / “Lips Are Sealed” / “Lips Are Sealed”
from the operetta “Die lustige Witwe” / “The Merry Widow” / “The Merry Widow”
Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
Drinking Song “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” / “The Drinking Song” / “The Drinking Song”
from the opera “La traviata” / “La Traviata”
KADRI RAALIK graduated from the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School and completed her bachelor’s studies in singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. In 2017, she joined the choir of the Estonian National Opera and, since autumn 2024, has been a soloist there. Raalik’s distinctions include second prize and the special prize of Vanemuine Theatre at the Vello Jürna Vocal Competition (2022). She received the Estonian Theatre Music Award for her portrayal of Musetta in Puccini’s opera “La Bohème” (Vanemuine Theatre) and for her portrayal of Rosalinde in Strauss’s operetta “Die Fledermaus” (2026). In addition to opera repertoire, Kadri Raalik has also performed major works such as Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio and Rossini’s “Petite messe solennelle”.
RAEL RENT began studying classical singing at the Heino Eller Tartu Music School under K. Puis, while simultaneously studying theatre studies and art history at the University of Tartu. She continued her vocal studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in the class of L. Ormiston and completed her master’s degree cum laude at the David Seligman Opera School of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, where her teachers were C. McGahon and A. Mason. In December 2022, Rent participated in J. DiDonato’s masterclasses at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2024, she won the Vello Jürna Opera Singers Competition. Rael Rent has been a member of the opera choir of Vanemuine Theatre since autumn 2025, and has already appeared as a soloist in numerous theatre concerts and productions, including the solo role in the ballet production “Palve. Kummardus Pärdile”, the role of Mari in Kõlar’s opera “Libahunt” and the role of Flora in Verdi’s opera “La Traviata”.
JUHAN TRALLA graduated from the Estonian Academy of Theatre and Music with a degree in violin. At the same time, he began studying singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with M. Palm, continuing his studies from 1998 to 2002 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (teacher G. Kahry), from 2002 to 2004 at Toma Popescu’s studio in Vienna, and in 2008 at the Carlo Bergonzi Accademia Verdiana in Busseto. In 1997, he won the Tiit Kuusik Singing Competition, and in 2003 he won the Grand Prix at the Sabin Drăgoi International Singing Competition in Timişoara, Romania. In 2007, Tralla became the first Estonian to be selected for the final round of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in the United Kingdom. He was a soloist at the Vienna Volksoper from 2000 to 2003 and at the German National Theatre in Weimar from 2003 to 2005, worked as a freelance soloist from 2005 to 2009, and was a soloist at the National Theatre Mannheim from 2009 to 2016. Tralla has sung at numerous German theatres, including the city theatres of Aachen, Bielefeld and Münster, the Halle Opera, Freiburg Theatre, Saarbrücken Opera and the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, as well as at Novaya Opera in Moscow, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Lucerne Theatre and the Slovak National Opera in Bratislava. He has collaborated with the Estonian National Opera since 1999. Tralla has performed as a chamber singer and as a soloist in vocal-symphonic large-scale works, including Verdi and Mozart’s Requiems, Bach’s Mass in B minor, Haydn’s “The Creation” and “The Seasons”, Dvořák’s “Stabat Mater”, Tobias’ “Jonah’s Mission”, Liszt’s “Faust Symphony”, Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria”, Janáček’s “The Eternal Gospel” and others. He has collaborated with orchestras from various countries and participated in numerous opera and operetta galas in many countries. Since 2015, Juhan Tralla has been a lecturer in singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
PIIA PAEMURRU is one of Estonia’s most highly regarded ensemble partners and accompanists for opera singers. She has collaborated with many renowned Estonian and international singers, including V. Noreika, J. Ryhänen, M. Voites, M. Palm, P. Lill, A. Saal, R. Soom, P. Volmer, H. Lokuta, A. Mikk, K. Vähi, O. Kuusik, M. Listra, K. Puis, P. Jonas, D. Savinova, M. Veretenina, A. Pillak, T. Dede, K. Jürgens, S. Laagus, A. Soode, A. Karp, S. Breede, T. Nugis, R. Raalik, P. Balakin, R. Kull, R. Tamm and others. Her concert career has also brought her on stage with outstanding instrumentalists, including P. Paemurru, M. Tampere-Bezrodny, A. Lend, A. Tammesalu, V. Veldi and others. Paemurru graduated from the Tallinn Conservatory in 1999 with a master’s degree in the piano class of Professor Laine Mets. Since 1986, she has worked as a piano accompanist in the Department of Singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Internationally, Paemurru has participated as an accompanist in numerous masterclasses and auditions at the Bavarian Opera Academy in Germany. She has received special prizes for Best Accompanist at several singing competitions, including the Klaudia Taev International Competition for Young Opera Singers, where she has received the award five times. From 2016 to 2026, she worked as an accompanist at Vanemuine Theatre. Piia Paemurru is a scholarship holder of Music Trust PLMF.