CHRISTMAS IS COMING

Friday, December 19, 2025 at 7 p.m. Charles Church, Tallinn

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

Performers:

Children's choir and girls' choir of the Estonian Radio Singing Studio
conductors Kadri Hunt and Kaie Tanner

Kristel Pärtna - soprano (Estonian National Opera)
Piret Aidulo – organ
Aare Tammesalu - cello

Program:

1. Georg Friedrich Händel, text Isaac Watts – "Joy To The World"       
                      

2. Johann Sebastian Bach, text Johann Meck - "Jesus bleibet meine Freude"              

3. Hugo Lepnurm, text from  the Bible - "You Have All My Time In Your Hands"   

4. Arete Teemets, text from the Bible - "Ave Maria"                                                   

5. Joseph Rheinberger - "Evening Song"                                                    

6. Philippe Rombi, text from the Bible - "Ave Maria"                                                   

7. Franz Gruber, text Joseph More - "Holy Night"                                                         

8. Adolphe Adam, text Placide Cappeau - "O Holy Night"                    

9. Camille Saint-Saëns - "Prière"                                                         

10. Jean Sibelius, text Zachris Topelius - "I Seek No Honor, No Glory"         

11. Pietro Yon - "Gesu bambino"                                                        

12. Healey Willan - "Deo Gracias"                          

13. Pietro Mascagni, text from the Bible - "Ave Maria"                                               

14. Märt Hunt – "On The Sledding Hill"                                                              

15. Estonian folk song, (arr. Kadri Hunt) – "Christmas is Coming"

16. Olav Ehala, text Leelo Tungal – "Christmas Angel"                                           

17. Märt Hunt – "Then When It's Christmas Time"                                     

18. Leo Wirkhaus, tekst Julius Oengo - "Chiming Christmas Bells"

In cooperation with the Estonian Radio Children's Singing Studio

Estonian Radio Children's Singing Studio

Estonian Radio has had its own singing children since 1955. There have been several different teachers here, but Eda Neider has been guiding the children for the longest time. Currently, girls and boys aged 6-18 sing and dance under the guidance of singing teachers Kadri Hunt and Kaie Tanner, dance teachers Maria Uppin-Sarve and Roosmarii Sarapuu, teachers Karis Trass and Anu Aimla and Elina Kaasik.

The studio has a preparatory choir (age 6-8), a toddler choir (age 8-11), a children's choir (age 11-14) and a girls' choir (age 14-20). Lessons take place in the preparatory choir once a week, in the older choirs twice a week. Since December 5, 2011, the studio has been officially registered as an Raadio Children's Singing Studio Music School.

The head of the singing studio has been Kadri Hunt for over 20 years, who searches for nice songs and teaches them to children. Since the goal of the studio is to record both good old and newer children's songs by Estonian composers, in addition to the joy of singing, a large part of the work is related to recording.

Kadri Hunt is a choir director, music teacher, singer and composer. He graduated in 1987 in the class of Ants Üleoja at the Tallinn State Conservatory, and in 2004 he received a master's degree from the Estonian Academy of Music (Toomas Kapten and Jaan-Eik Tulve). She has improved himself in singing early music in Germany and in Gregorian chant in France.

Kadri started working with liturgical music in the band LinnaMuusikud, currently she is active in the groups Heinavanker and Vox Clamantis, and in recent years also in the Royal Catalan Chapel (La Capella Reial de Catalunya) directed by Jordi Savall. She has performed both as part of the aforementioned ensembles and as a soloist in many European countries, Australia, Japan, Colombia, Mexico, Canada and the USA. Kadri Hunt is also involved in Estonian folk music, she has performed and recorded folk songs set by Veljo Tormis and Estonian folk chorales with the ensemble of jazz musicians Hüüd & Hääl. In 2004, she completed her master's thesis on the variation of Estonian folk chorale tunes, on the same topic she has given presentations to Estonian music lovers as well as to international audiences and has arranged folk chorales for various compositions.

In 1989, Kadri Hunt started working as the assistant conductor of the boys' choir created at the Old Town College of Education, since 1995 she has been the conductor of the St. Michael's Boys' Choir, and since 1998 she has been the director of the Radio Children's Singing Studio, where the preparatory choir, toddler choir, children's choir and girls' choir operate under his supervision. Since 2011, she has been one of the mentor choir directors of the Choir Association.

Kadri Hunt led the combined choir at the youth song festival Ilmapuu 2007, was the type leader of toddler choirs at the song festival ÜhesHingamine 2009 and led the children's choir at the youth song festival Maa ja ilm 2011. In addition, she has led the combined choir at county song days, spiritual song parties and festivals of children's and toddler choirs. She has received the best conductor award at international choir competitions in Kaposvar, Hungary (2010) and Llangollen, Wales (2013), in 2010 she was nominated for the title of Conductor of the Year by the Estonian Choral Association. She has given presentations at both Estonian and international conferences, most recently at the international music education conference VOICE in Budapest in April 2014. In March 2015, she conducted choral music master classes in Israel, in the summer of the same year she was invited to guide the studio of Nordic and Baltic folk song arrangements at the EUROPA CANTAT European Choir Festival in Pecs (Hungary), in 2018 she led the studio at the Europa Cantat International Choir Festival in Tallinn.

Kadri Hunt is also involved in music composition, she has written music for children's plays and solo and choral songs. Her songs have been performed at song festivals in 1999, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2019 and at the Spiritual Song Festival in Tartu in 2010 and 2015. K. Hunt has made numerous different arrangements for different types of choirs, they have been printed, recorded and also performed at several song festivals.

K. Hunt has edited several collections of choral songs and song parties, being both proofreader and author of many arrangements.

Kadri Hund initiated a series of recordings of Estonian children's and youth music on Estonian Radio - since 1998, 16 CDs have been released in the children's performance of Raadio Laulustuudio. She has produced educational materials and singers. Kadri Hund's discography as a singer, composer and conductor reaches nearly 50 titles, as part of various music collectives she has recorded for radio stations in Spain, Norway, Poland, France, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the USA.

Kadri Hunt has also contributed to the development of children's instrumental music and for many years has participated in the organization of the "Noor Muusik" international competition for young pianists, violinists and cellists.

Kadri Hunt's students have successfully participated in several soloists' competitions, and the Radio Singing Studio has produced the already recognized singers Arete Teemets and Iiris Vesik. Several Miikaeli Boys Choir foster children have gone on to study at EMTA, one is already working as a music teacher in a general education school.

Kadri Hund has been awarded the Gustav Ernesaksa Foundation study scholarship (2001), the Uno Järvela Foundation scholarship (2013), the Riho Päts Foundation scholarship (2018) and the Valgetähe IV class medal of merit.

Since the age of 3, K. Hunt has also been active in the field of popular music. As a child, she participated as a soloist in several variety programs and in the ETV program series "Entel-Tentel", later she continued her career as a singer in various pop music and gospel ensembles ("Kooli-Prii", "Elektra", "Psalm 102"), which have also performed in Estonia and elsewhere, recorded songs in Estonian Radio and other studios.

Kaie Tanner graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music in 2000 with a major in choral conducting (prof. Ants Soots), has furthered her education at the EELK School of Church Music and courses in Austria and Finland. She currently works as the CEO of the Estonian Choral Association, is the president of the international association of choral festivals, the Choral Festival Network (since 2012), and the conductor of the choirs of Raadio Children's Song Studio.

Kaie Tanner has led the children's and women's choir at the choir's spiritual singing parties and days, the combined choir's mixed choirs' singing day, and the children's choir at the youth and general singing parties since 2007.

Since 2001, she has been a member of the organizing committee of several international choir festivals, conductors' competitions, song weeks, conferences and song parties (Nordic and Baltic Song Festival 2008 in Tartu, EUROPA CANTAT junior 2011 in Pärnu, EUROPA CANTAT festival 2018 in Tallinn, Tallinn International Choir Festivals, Republican Conductors' Competitions), made presentations at Estonian and international conferences (Peking University 2012, World Choral Summit 2012, international music education conference in Budapest 2014, Baltic countries choral conference in Riga 2016, World Choral Music Symposium in Barcelona 2017, Swiss choir leaders' conference 2018, etc.), published articles in Estonian and foreign press, participated in the work of juries (Hong Kong, Beijing, Neerpelt, etc.), conducted trainings.

2010-2016 Kaie Tanner was a member of the board of the European Music Council, 2009-2018 a member of the board of the European Choral Association EUROPA CANTAT. She has been invited as a consultant and a member of the artistic councils of several music festivals: consultant of the Nordic and Baltic Choir Festival 2010 (Reykjavik), member of the artistic council of the European Choir Festival 2012 (Torino) and 2015 (Pecs), member of the council of the International Festival of Children and Youth Choirs EUROPA CANTAT junior 7 2014 (Bergen), 2017 (Lyon), 2020 (Vilnius).

Since 2007, Kaie Tanner has also been a mentor of the Estonian Choir Association.

Kristel Pärtna started her music studies at Rakvere Music School in Tõnu Klomann's piano class. In 2000, she studied singing with Urve Tauts at the preparatory courses of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater and continued her singing studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater in Rostislav Gurjev's singing class, obtaining a master's degree in 2011. In the years 2009-2010, Kristel Pärtna studied at the Sibelius Academy under the supervision of Anssi Hirvonen as part of the Erasmus exchange program.

In the years 2010–2012, Kristel Pärtna was part of the Estonian Opera Academy, which prepares young singers at the Estonian National Opera. In 2012, Kristel Pärtna studied under the guidance of teachers Sherman Lowe and Stefania Bonfadelli at the Belcanto Academy named after Rodolfo Celletti in Martina Franca, Italy, as part of the Young Talents Program of the Music Foundation. As part of the Academy, she participated in the opera festival "Festival della Valle d'Itria", where he appeared as Euridice in the Luigi Rossi/Daniela Terranova opera "Orpheus. Imaginations from a distance" (DVD Festival della Valle d'Itria, 2012) and was a backup singer (cover) for the role of Mandane in Johann Adolph Hasse's opera "Artaserse". She also soloed in Arvo Pärt's "Stabat Mater" and performed at a chamber music concert. In addition, she has participated in Eva Märtson, Sonia Prina, Roberta Mameli, Wilma Vernocchi, Kaludi Kaludovi and others. in master courses.

Since the fall of 2012, Kristel Pärtna has been a soloist of the Estonian National Opera. Her opera roles include Norina (Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale), Marfa (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride), Gilda (Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto), Christel (Carl Zeller's The Bird Merchant), Adina (Donizetti's Love Potion), Armida (Georg Friedrich Handel's Rinaldo), Cleopatra (Handel's Julius Caesar), Leonora (Paul Hindemith's The Long Christmas dinner"), Mrs. Hõbekurk (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Theatre Director"), Mercédès (George Bizet's "Carmen"), Violetta (Verdi's "Traviata"), Susanna (Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"), Lagle (Rasmus Puur's "Colours of the Clouds"), Oscar (Verdi's "Masquerade Ball") and I flower girl (Richard Wagner's "Parsifal"). She has also appeared in several concert performances, including Zdenka (Richard Strauss's "Arabella"), Modistina (Strauss's "Roosikavaler") and Clotilde (Vincenzo Bellini's "Norma").

In 2013, the Estonian National Opera gave guest performances at the Grand Theater of Belarus, where Pärtna has sung Violetta in Verdi's opera "Traviata". In addition, she has sung the role of Papagena in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" as a guest soloist at the Finnish National Opera.

In 2010, she took part in the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland as Paas in Wagner's Lohengrin. Kristel Pärtna has also appeared in the Vanemuine Theater as the First Boy (Mozart's "The Magic Flute") and in the productions of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater Opera Studio as Arminda (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Love for the Gardener"), Mari's voice (Age Hirve's "Firecaster") and as the First Boy (Mozart's "The Magic Flute").

In addition to operas, Kristel Pärtna has performed as a soprano soloist in Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio "Elias" (Pärnu City Orchestra, conductor Markus Teutchbein, 2015), Leonard Bernstein's Mass (Birgitta Festival 2014, conductor Māris Sirmais) and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (conductor Mihhail Gerts, 2013) and gave chamber music concerts in Estonia and Moscow (commemorative evening dedicated to Georg Ots' 95th birthday, 2015). She has collaborated with pianists Mihkel Poll, Martti Raide, Ralf Taal, Ivo Sillamaa, Tarmo Eespere, Riina Pikani and Jaanika Rand-Sirp.

Kristel Pärtna has been a scholarship holder of the Mati Palmi Foundation (2010), she has received the Marje and Kuldar Sing Award "Young Singer" (2012), the Harjumaa Theater Award (2017) and the audience award of SEB Bank, the gold sponsor of RO Estonia (2020).

Organist, choir director and pedagogue Piret Aidulo gives solo concerts, is an active chamber musician and collaborates with orchestras both in concerts and in recording projects.  With the ERSO, RO Estonia and Vanemuise orchestras and various chamber orchestras in Estonia, she has played both orchestral works and large-scale organ parts, as well as organ concerts. She has also played with the Latvian SO (Gubaidulina Johannes-passion and others), the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (Tobias Joonas's sending (2003, conductor Neeme Järvi) and Mahler's 8th Symphony (2009, conductor Nikolai Aleksejev) - the same program several times with the ERSO) and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra (Gubaidulina Johannes-passion and other works).

Collaborated with famous vocal and instrumental soloists: A. Anger, J, Ryhänen, I. Vau, H. Veskus, N. Kurem, A. Tammesalu, A. Saal, K. Pärtna, V. Felitsiant, A. Ausmaa, T. Bubert, M. Palm, N, Murdvee, S. Jalakas, Bosporus Wind Quintet, Moscow ensemble Da camera e da chiesa, etc. As an organist, she has performed at festivals in Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Yalta, Malta, Istanbul, Athens, Stockholm, Kokkola, Visby, etc.

She has played in many recording projects: for example Rautavaara's works with the Philharmonic Chamber Choir, E. Tubina Requiem with the National Men's Choir, etc., and various large forms with the TUT Men's Choir and Women's Choir, etc.

Since 1989, she has been the organist and choir director of the Tallinn Charles Church, which also houses the largest organ in Estonia (Walcker/1923), and since 1993, the music director. Since 2013, she has also been working as a part-time organist in Tallinn Cathedral.

Piret Aidulo graduated from Tallinn Music High School in the piano in Helle Jantson's class, cum laude from the Tallinn Conservatory as a music teacher-choir director, four years later as an organist and with a master's degree in the organ major in 1998. Hugo in Lepnurme's class.

1996-2010 she was the chairman of the board of the EELK Church Music Association, she has been a member of the board of the Estonian Music Council, the chairman of the board of SA EELK church day and song party, and currently the vice chairman of the same board.

P. Aidulo is the chief conductor of the Kaarli parish concert choir and chamber choir Canorus. Both choirs strive for the most professional result possible, they also give concerts and have successfully participated in choir festivals and competitions (for example, 1998 Rome, Coventry, 2010 Barcelona, ​​2012 Istanbul, 2015 Malta, 2018 Tbilisi). She has also been the general manager of several EELK song festivals (2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020). EMTA church music practice supervisor 2006-2020. Has published articles and music reviews in various publications.

She has been awarded the Estonian National Culture Scholarship 1996-1997; H. Lepnurm scholarship 2006; EELK Merit Cross III Class 2007; Church Musician of the Year 2009.

Cellist Aare Tammesalu acts as a soloist and chamber musician, performing both classical repertoire and contemporary music. In addition, he is an active concert organizer. Tammesalu studied cello at Tallinn Music High School in Laine Leichter's class and at Tallinn State Conservatory with Ivo Juuli and Prof. Toomas Velmet. Tammesalu is a laureate of the Republican String Players Competition (1987) and the winner of the special prize for the best performance of a work by J.S. Bach. Later, he completed his master's degree at EMTA under the supervision of Prof. Peeter Paemurru. He has honed his instrument playing skills in private lessons with Prof. Mihhail Homitser of the Moscow Conservatory and participated in the master classes of Prof. Martin Osterdag. Aare Tammesalu has participated in almost all music festivals in Estonia and performed at internationally renowned festivals in Europe, North and South America, Japan, Russia and the Middle East. He has soloed before ERSO, RO Estonia Symphony Orchestra, Klaaspärlimäng Sinfonietta, Pärnu City Orchestra, XXI Century Orchestra, Kotka City Orchestra (Finland), ME Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Male Choir and Moscow Conservatory Mixed Choir (Russia). He has participated in the work of several music groups: Reval Ensemble, Tobias String Quartet, Resonabilis.

Aare Tammesalu has been Giovanni Bonato, Lepo Sumera, Eino Tambergi, Andres Uibo, Mirjam Tally, Andrus Kallastu, Marianna Liiki, Märt-Matis Lille, Igor Garšneki, Galina Grigorjeva, Liisa Hirschi, Heimar Ilvese, Lauri Jõelehe, Mihkel Keremi, Tõnis Kaumanni, Tatjana Kozlova-Johannese, Ülo Kriguli, Margo Kõlari, Kristjan Kõrveri, Tõnu Kõrvitsa, Hans-Gunter Locki, As a premiere performer of works by composers such as Malle Maltis, Eduard Oja, Rasmus Puuri, Jüri Reinvere, Urmas Sisaski, Helena Tulve, Ardo Ran Varres and others. He has recorded the works of Artur Kapi, Tõnu Kõrvitsa, Kuldar Sing, Lepo Sumera, Toivo Tulevi, Mirjam Tally, Marianna Liik and others on sound discs. In 2010, in cooperation with the record company ERES, the audio record "Cello and organ" was released, which features the cello music of Estonian composers through the ages. He has also organized the release of audio discs: "Clarinette omnitonique" with music by Iwan Müller and W.A. Mozart (Toomas Vavilov, Arvo Leibur, Toomas Nestor, Aare Tammesalu), "To Reach Yesterday" with works by Lepo Sumera (Neeme Punder, Lea Leiten, Meelis Vind, Pille Lill, Marje Lohuaru, Aare Tammesalu), etc.

In 2008, Aare Tammesalu did the musical design for the reenactment of the silent film "Young Eagles" (1927, directed by T.Luts) and participated in the restoration of the soundtrack and re-recording of the music for the ETV feature film "Pimedad Aknad" (composer E.Tamberg). Aare Tammesalu has worked as a music producer at Eesti Kontserd and Pärnu Philharmonic. He has organized interpretation competitions: the J.S. Bach competition in 2000 at EMTA, the Pärnu violinists' competition in 2008 and 2010. In 2006, he was the initiator and implementer of the idea of ​​the "Mozart 250" festival, which unites all Estonian classical  music groups and institutions. Since 1995, Tammesalu has been the artistic director of the Mustjala Festival and the Kadriorg Palace  Music concert series in Saaremaa.

Aare Tammesalu's activities have been recognized with the annual prize of the Estonian Cultural Capital and the Estonian Music Council, the special prize of the jury of the Estonian Theater Association and the cultural prize named after Hendrik Krumm. In February 2023, the municipality of Saaremaa awarded Aare Tammesalu the "Deed of the Year 2022" award for organizing the Mustjala festival, in 2023 the EELK Council recognized him with the title of "Church Friend of the Year". He is an honorary citizen of Mustjala parish and a knight of the Order of Merit.

Organizers: EELK Tallinn Toompea Kaarli congregation, Estonian Radio Song Studio and Loovuksus

Supported by the Estonian Cultural Foundation

Please do not take pictures or film during the concert.

The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the schedule.

Concert tickets are not refundable, but if necessary, we can exchange them for passes to other events organized by NPO Loovüksus