Spring, and now the transition into summer, has been a busy and fruitful time for EstoCast, the podcast produced by VEMU Estonian Museum Canada, its project Estonian Music Week, and Estonian Life newspaper. Our listener base has steadily grown, and we now have a steady base of returning listeners – this listener base continues to expand, and we expect to see even more growth in season 4. We’ve brought interesting, captivating, and educational interviews to the public, including discussions with people in the arts sector, language studies, and beyond.
Estonian episodes continued to have a central focus on the Year of the Estonian Book, in celebration of the passing of 500 years since the f irst publication to include Estonian texts was published. In April, we discussed the ties between literature and nature, how the Year of the Book continues to be celebrated in Estonia and more with renowned Estonian author and semiotic Valdur Mikita. Since a group of school directors and individuals from the educational sector in Estonia were visiting Toronto at the beginning of May, we invited a few of them to our studio to discuss the necessity of mandatory reading in schools, the importance of reading books and what is the idea behind literature in general, and other riveting topics. Our latest Estonian episode strays from the main overarching topic and into the world of films, where we discuss the inner workings of the filmmaking realm, how filmmaking differs in Europe and North America and how an Estonian Canadian came to be renowned in Hollywood in a discussion with cinematographer Alar Kivilo.
In the lead up to the Estonian Music Week 2025 festival at the end of May, our English episodes featured artists that were set to perform at the festival. March included a discussion with Estonian flautist and composer Katariina Tirmaste, who talked about how surprising it was to win an Etnokulp award, the many projects and collaborations she’s been a part of—including Hypnosis Negative, which connects Canada and Estonia, and the multinational, spontaneous qualities of folk music. We also spoke with Elora Burns, a member of famed Canadian a cappella group Countermeasure, regarding the Estonian linguistic experience that played a role in making choral music a huge part of her life and the ensemble’s upcoming tour in Japan to promote their new album. The newest English episode also has a focus on the world of film, diving into a discussion with filmmaking duo Tiiu Loigu and William Shockley around authentically depicting the design and clothing of the American southwest in the 1880s and making a moving work of art with great sensitivity and attention to detail.
As it’s now June, EstoCast will be taking a break from the middle of June until the end of summer. But don’t fret! We have two more episodes coming out before this: our filmmaking episode with Alar Kivilo and a discussion with Canadian-Estonian musician, artist, and playwright Camille Intson about discovering her heritage through a trip to Estonia with her mother, how her research practice is connected with her heritage and creations, and more. Plus we’ll be taking a trip back in time and resharing some of our older episodes in case you missed them. Enjoy the summer and we’ll see you on the other side with season 4 in the fall!