The first Estonian Music Week took place in May 2018 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. This festival has now become VEMU’s greatest cultural event throughout the year. To date, three full festivals have taken place (2018, 2019, and 2021), many concerts and tours by renowned Estonian artists, and much more. The latest of these endeavours was helping bring the Estonian-Ukrainian band Svjata Vatra on a Canadian minitour in February 2023. The concerts took place in Guelph, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Niagara Falls, and in various venues around Toronto.
The fourth festival is coming up on May 24-28 in Toronto and Hamilton; the slogan is: “Small country. Big ideas.” Experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Nordic high life right here in Canada with five days of artists who push the boundaries of genres – folk artist of the year Mari Kalkun, avant garde jazz pianist and composer Kirke Karja, experts of ancient folk hymns Ansambel Triskele, renowned electronic music innovator Kara-Lis Coverdale. Plus, we’re keeping a few names as a surprise until we announce the full line-up. Save the dates for our 5th-anniversary celebrations with sound and light installations, culture exhibits, regional cuisine, artists’ talks, a conference, and tons of music!