Chamber Evenings in National Museum in Tartu
23. May at 18.00
Estonian National Museum Silla area
TRIO HEMEIS:
Sigrid Kuulmann (violin),
Andreas Lend (cello),
Ralf Taal (piano)
Programme: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Liszt
Free entrance
SIGRID KUULMANN
graduated from the Tallinn Music High School and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT, Prof. Tiiu Peäske). She has furthered her skills in London Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Düsseldorf Robert Schumann Hochschule in the violin class of maestro David Oistrahh’s student Prof. Rosa Fain. Her playing has been guided by, among others, professors Igor Bezrodny, Dmitri Sitkovetsky, Michaela Martin, Pavel Vernikov, Yfrah Neaman and Jüri Gerretz and her studies have been supported by Corporation of London, British Council Baltic States, Deutscher Akademischer Austauchdienst and Cultural Endowment of Estonia. S. Kuulmann-Martin is the laureate-prize winner of the H. Eller Violin Competition as well as many other competitions, she has performed as a soloist and a chamber musician in many European countries. She has received special recognition for playing Estonian composers’, especially E. Tubin’s works. She has been the first one to perform such pieces in Estonia as Lutoslawski Partita, Berio Sequenza VIII, Virkhaus Violin Concerto No. 2, Bizet-Waxman “Carmen-Fantasia” etc. Her repertoire includes most of the major violin concerts, sonatas and virtuoso pieces from baroque to contemporary. S. Kuulmann-Martin has recorded for the Estonian Public Broadcasting (EPB) several times, including Sibelius Violin Concert with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. In cooperation with EPB and Estonian Record Productions many CD-s have been released, the last one in 2012 featuring Eduard Tubin’s violin music with pianist Marko Martin. S. Kuulmann-Martin is a scholar of The Association of Estonian Professional Musicians, Cultural Endowment of Estonia and PLMF since 2007. She has a PhD degree of musical interpretation from EAMT (Prof. Mari Tampere-Bezrodny) and she is working there as a professor.
ANDREAS LEND
is one of his generations most distinguished cellists in Estonia. He started his music studies in Tallinn Music High School, aquired a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Estonian Academy of Music and Theater and furthered his skills in Finland Sibelius Academy. In addition, he has taken part of many internationally acknowledged cellist’s master classes (F. Helmerson, D. Geringas, M. Ostertag etc.). A. Lend has gotten awards at many competitions, including I Prize and Grand Prix at the International Competition-Festival “Renaissance” (Armenia, 2013), I Prize at the ESTA Estonian nationwide Violinists’ and Cellists’ Competition (2004) etc. In 2007 A. Lend was chosen to be a part of the European Union Youth Orchestra which he has performed with across Europe. As a soloist and an ensemble partner he has performed in numerous foreign countries including Denmark, Germany, Italy etc. and he has been invited to Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, Kuopio Historical Keyboards Festival in Finland, Valle d’Itria Festival in Italy etc. During the last few years he cooperated with many string quartets and orchestras and at the moment he is active in National Opera Estonia Symphony Orchestra, string quartet Prezioso and Estonian Cello Ensemble and he is also active as a chamber musician in several other compositions.
RALF TAAL
has graduated from the Tallinn Music High School and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT). In 1993, he won the 1st Prize at the young pianists’ competition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of E. Grieg and in 1994 R. Taal won the National Pianists’ Competition and Young Interprets’ Competition-Festival “Con Brio”. He was a scholar of the Estonian Concert for the 1994/95 concert season. In 1995, he was awarded with a special prize at the Schubert International Pianists’ Competition in Dortmund for being the youngest finalist. R. Taal has performed as a soloist with almost all Estonian orchestras and he has given numerous solo concerts. He has cooperated with such outstanding conductors as Eri Klas, Paavo Järvi, Olari Elts, Arvo Volmer, Tõnu Kaljuste, Anu Tali etc. His solo programs mostly include music from Schubert, Beethoven and Chopin. In addition to being active as a soloist R. Taal is also a valued ensemble partner for several vocal and instrumental soloists, including singers Mati Palm, Ain Anger, Pille Lill, Helen Lokuta, Monika-Evelin Liiv and instrumentalists Indrek Vau, Oksana Sinkova, Toomas Vavilov, Andrus Haav etc. R. Taal is working as a pedagogue at the EAMT and at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School and he was a concertmaster at the Estonian National Opera (1998-2014). In 2011, he was rewarded with the annual award of the Estonian Culture Endowment’s Music (Sound Design) Fund. In 2014, he released his solo album with Chopin’s piano music “Magic of Sound” (Estonian Record Productions).
