100 Singers Honor 100th Anniversary Of Estonian Independence 4/1

Presented by the Foundation of Estonian Arts and Letters, Esto-Atlantis Choral Concert will celebrate the Republic of Estonia's centennial. 100+ singers from around the world will gather to perform and honor the rich heritage of Estonian choral music on Lincoln Center's world-renowned stage. The program manifests four generations of one musical Estonian family: Rudolf Tobias (1973-1918), his daughter, Helen Tobias-Duesberg (1919-2010), granddaughter Maaja Duesberg Roos (b.1945), and great-granddaughter Leila Roos (b.1986). The former two will be present in the spirit of their compositions, the latter two conducting their music, with Maaja additionally performing at the piano and Leila singing in the choir. This Easter Sunday performance includes sacred choral selections by Tobias, and the American premiere of Reekviem by Tobias-Duesberg, as well as the ethereal Morning Star by her contemporary Arvo Pärt, who is the most performed living composer in the world. (Please scroll down for complete program.)

2018 marks 100 years since Estonia proclaimed itself as an independent, democratic republic. Esto-Atlantis, a choir of 100 Estonian singers from either side of the Atlantic Ocean, will celebrate this centennial through the greatest Estonian tradition of all: choral music. "Song is the spirit of Estonian identity," explains curator and conductor Maaja Duesberg Roos. "Estonia's strong choral tradition sustained this resilient Nordic nation through many hundred years of foreign rule. We are thrilled to provide a platform for one hundred Estonian artists to perform this amazing music together on one stage."

The genesis of the program is "the father of Estonian music," composer Rudolf Tobias. At the turn of the century, Tobias became a pioneering figure in the national awakening, championing Estonian cultural identity over foreign influence. He was a leader in the formation and development of Estonia's national music culture. Tobias inspired generations of musicians to come - Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, and Neeme Järvi, to name just a few. Tobias' most ardent protégé was the daughter he never met: born just months after his death, Helen Tobias-Duesberg would only come to know her father through his music.

Now, Helen's daughter, the acclaimed choral conductor Maaja Duesberg Roos, brings us a concert that will tell this story musically - through a program that concludes with her grandfather's moving choral works Eks Teie Tea (Know Ye Not) and Otsekui Hirv (As the Hart Panteth). Other works on the program include an ensemble performance of Pärt's Morning Star, and an homage to Pärt by Helen, who studied composition under the same teacher at the Estonian Conservatory.

The concert's capstone is Reekviem, a truly original, otherworldly work embodying Neo-Baroque and Neo-Classical elements. Helen's requiem "deserves to have a light shone on it, for it is a little diamond among oratorios," says conductor Peter Shannon (Savannah Philharmonic and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra). As a young woman, Helen moved to Berlin to study music composition. During World War II, she met her future husband, Wilhelm Duesberg, a journalist who was repeatedly imprisoned for writing articles against Adolf Hitler. Shortly after the war, Wilhelm died of a heart attack in a Stuttgart courtroom while preparing to testify against Nazi war criminals. Following Wilhelm's death, Helen endured multiple hardships as she returned to New York with 6-year-old Maaja. However, the pain and passion she endured were instrumental to composing her magnum opus, Reekviem.

This concert unites singers from choirs based in Estonia, Sweden, the United States, and Canada, forming the mass choir Esto-Atlantis for its debut performance. Hailing from the eastern seaboard, the children's choir Laulurõõm opens the concert with a series of Estonian folk songs. Also appearing are four of Estonia's in-demand soloists: Arete Teemets, soprano; Veikko Kiiver, tenor; Alar Pintsaar, bass; and Ines Maidre, organist.

About Maaja Duesberg Roos | Curator and Conductor

Maaja Roos has garnered international acclaim as a pianist and choral conductor over her vibrant 40-year career. "Maestra Roos is the complete conductor, whose technique is equally superb whether leading a chorus or an orchestra," writes Phillip Greenberg, director of the Kiev Philharmonic. "While far lesser musicians dedicated their lives and careers to seeking fame and fortune, she devoted much of her life to education, inspiring generations in not only the pursuit of musical excellence, but in the life skills of teamwork, personal best, discipline, dedication and a whole host of other qualities - always leading by example."

In her performing career, Maaja seeks to promote Estonian music - starting with her piano debut on NPR and PBS at the age of 15. She has played and conducted her mother and grandfather's compositions around the world, introducing their choral, orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal solo works to international audiences. After teaching around the country, Maaja recently returned to the New York Estonian House, reestablishing as a mixed ensemble the men and women's choirs she had conducted 20 years earlier. During this time, she also founded children's choir Laulurõõm - "joy of song" - with singers ranging from 5 to 15 years of age.

About Esto-Atlantis Choir

Like the mythical continent that inspires is name, the Esto-Atlantis Choir does not exist in geographical space. It resides in the spirit of over 100 global singers from the following choirs: New Yorgi Eesti Segakoor (New York, NY, USA), Estonia Seltsi Segakoor (Tallinn, Estonia), Kraftkällan (Stockholm, Sweden), and the children's choir Laulurõõm (East Coast, USA), along with individual singers from Canada.

About Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters

Founded in 1957 by the Estonian National Council in the United States and incorporated a decade later, the Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters is a New York-based non-profit organization devoted to promoting the understanding and knowledge of the arts, science, literature and language of Estonia. In furtherance of this mission, the Foundation arranges public programs including concerts, symposia, and theatrical and other performances that support the intellectual, moral and social advancement of Estonia's rich cultural legacy.

Program Details

All works to be performed by Esto-Atlantis Choir and conducted by Maaja Roos
*U.S. Premiere

Rudolf Tobias (1873-1918)

Eks Tieie Tea (Know Ye Not), (1897)

Otsekui Hirv (As the Hart Panteth), (1904)

Helen Tobias-Duesberg (1919-2010)

Reekviem (2008)*
-Arete Teemets, soprano; Alar Pintsaar, bass; Veikko Kiiver, tenor

Hommage à Arvo Pärt (2010)

-Maaja Roos, piano

Estonian Folk Songs arr. Tobias-Duesberg
-Laulurõõm Children's Choir, conducted by Leila Roos

Arvo Pärt (b.1935)

Morning Star (2007)