Palace Music Summer Concerts: Leonora Palu, Norman Reintamm, Aare Tammesalu • Lossimuusika
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 7 p.m. Kadriorg Palace / Kadriorg Art Museum
PALACE MUSIC SUMMER CONCERTS
Leonora Palu - flute
Norman Illis Reintamm - piano
Aare Tammesalu - tšello
Program:
Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941)
Pièce Romantique for flute, cello and piano
Carl Philip Emmauel Bach (1714-1788)
Sonata for flute solo in A minor Wq 132
Artur Kapp (1878-1952)
Prelude for cello and piano (1918)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Piano trio in G major L. 5
Andantino con moto allegro
Scherzo. Intermezzo. Moderato con allegro
Andante espressivo
Finale. Appassionato
Leonora Palu graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with a degree in flute, furthered her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under Prof. Frank Hendrickx, and studied semiotics at the University of Tartu. She has performed with various orchestral and chamber ensembles in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Greece, and Japan.
Palu frequently performs contemporary music and has participated in the premieres of numerous works by Estonian composers. She is a member of the Repoo Ensemble, which focuses on contemporary music and experimental music theatre, and also performs in the free improvisation ensemble “Rooluulend,” which regularly appears at interdisciplinary festivals across Europe. She also performs regularly in the concert series “Heli ja Keel,” which presents Estonian sound and literary art.
From 2001 to 2005, Leonora Palu worked in the orchestra of the Estonian National Opera. She currently performs with the Pärnu City Orchestra, where she also regularly appears as a soloist. In addition, she is active as a teacher, instructing flute and free improvisation at the Pärnu and Pärnu-Jaagupi Music Schools.
Leonora Palu has published music criticism in the journal Muusika and concert reviews and opinion articles in the cultural newspaper Sirp. As a poet, she has published three collections of poetry, and her texts have also appeared in the literary journals Looming and Vikerkaar. In 2020, she was awarded the Pärnu City Creative Award for her prolific work as a performer, poet, and organizer of literary events.
Norman Reintamm is an Estonian-Canadian conductor, pianist, organist, and music educator. He currently is serving as the Conductor and Artistic Director for the Georgian Bay Concert Choir. As Conductor Emeritus of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in Toronto, Reintamm played a pivotal role in shaping the orchestra’s artistic vision and fostering musical excellence within the city’s vibrant cultural landscape.
Reintamm’s expertise spans orchestral conducting, choral direction, vocal coaching, piano and organ performance. He was also the pianist of TrioEstonia, bringing a unique perspective to chamber music and further expanding his artistic reach. He has a repertoire of over 30 standard ballets and operas, as well as extensive orchestral works.
Beyond the concert hall, Norman has contributed as an Artistic Advisor to the Barbados Classical Music Festival and has shared his passion for teaching as a flight instructor at the Brantford Flight Centre. His dedication to mentoring emerging talent and advocating for innovative programming continues to inspire both musicians and audiences.
Norman holds a B.A. in Music from McMaster University, Postgraduate Diploma in Orchestral Conducting (minor in organ studies) from the Royal College of Music (London, England), Licentiate in Organ Performance from Trinity College of Music (London, England), and the Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom from Ludwig-Maximillian-University/Goethe Institut (Munich). He studied with luminaires such as Sir David Willcocks, Sir Norman del Mar, and Sir Richard Popplewell.
Kadriorg Palace is one the most well known and beautiful historic concert halls in Estonia offering memorable music experiences already for many decades. The tradition of performing music in the baroque palace goes back to 18th century when court music accompanied the daily life. The palace has had the pleasure to welcome many international artists and ensembles for outstanding performances.
The construction of the Kadriorg Palace was started by the Tsar Peter the Great of Russia in 1718. It was named Catharinenthal (in Estonian Kadriorg) in honour of his wife Catherine I. The palace was designed by the Italian architect Nicola Michetti and its abundantly decorated main hall is one of the most exquisite examples of baroque architecture both in Estonia and in northern Europe.
Kadriorg Palace has always been the crown jewel of Tallinn. The small festive tsars’ palace in the style of Roman Baroque, surrounded by a regular garden, with fountains, hedges and flowerbeds, planned after the model of Versailles.
The palace was a summer residence of Russian emperors untill 1917. In the 1920s, and again in 1946-1991 palace served as the main building of the Art Museum of Estonia. In the 1930s, it was the residence of the Head of State of the Estonian Republic. In 2000, it was opened as the Kadriorg Art Museum, which displays the largest collection of old Russian and Western European art in Estonia.
Music has been performed in the palace halls since the 18th century. In the past few decades, the most brilliant Estonian and international musicians have delighted listeners in the palace. Regular concerts started to take place in the Kadriorg Palace again in 2014, when the museum launched the Palace Music Concert Series. The extraordinary acoustics and the magnificent interior of the main hall make every concert a truly enjoyable artistic experience.
Aare Tammesalu is an Estonian cellist active 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 the Tallinn Music High School in the class of Laine Leichter and at the Tallinn State Conservatory under Ivo Juul and Prof. Toomas Velmet. He is a laureate of the Estonian National String Players’ Competition (1987) and the recipient of a special prize for the best performance of a work by J. S. Bach. He later continued his studies in the master’s program at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre under Prof. Peeter Paemurru. He has further refined his skills in private studies in Moscow with Prof. Mikhail Khomitzer and participated in masterclasses with Prof. Martin Ostertag.
Tammesalu has taken part in nearly all major Estonian music festivals and has performed at internationally renowned festivals in Europe, North and South America, Japan, Russia, and Iran. He has appeared as a soloist with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO), the Estonian National Opera Symphony Orchestra, Klaaspärlimäng Sinfonietta, the Pärnu City Orchestra, the 21st Century Orchestra, the Kotka City Orchestra (Finland), chamber orchestra ME, the Estonian National Male Choir, and the Moscow Conservatory Mixed Choir (Russia). He has been a member of several ensembles, including Reval Ensemble, the Tobias String Quartet, and Resonabilis.
Aare Tammesalu has premiered works by numerous composers, including Giovanni Bonato, Lepo Sumera, Eino Tamberg, Andres Uibo, Mirjam Tally, Andrus Kallastu, Marianna Liik, Märt-Matis Lill, Igor Garšnek, Galina Grigorjeva, Liisa Hirsch, Heimar Ilves, Lauri Jõeleht, Mihkel Kerem, Tõnis Kaumann, Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes, Ülo Krigul, Margo Kõlar, Kristjan Kõrver, Tõnu Kõrvits, Hans-Gunter Lock, Malle Maltis, Eduard Oja, Rasmus Puur, Jüri Reinvere, Urmas Sisask, Helena Tulve, Ardo Ran Varres, and others. His recordings include works by Artur Kapp, Tõnu Kõrvits, Kuldar Sink, Lepo Sumera, Toivo Tulev, Mirjam Tally, Marianna Liik, and others. In 2010, in collaboration with ERES, he released the album “Cello and Organ,” featuring Estonian cello music from different periods.
He has also produced recordings, including “Clarinette omnitonique” with music by Iwan Müller and W. A. Mozart (Toomas Vavilov, Arvo Leibur, Toomas Nestor, Aare Tammesalu) and “To Reach Yesterday” featuring works by Lepo Sumera (Neeme Punder, Lea Leiten, Meelis Vind, Pille Lill, Marje Lohuaru, Aare Tammesalu), among others. In 2008, Tammesalu created the musical design for a restored screening of the silent film “Young Eagles” (1927, dir. T. Luts) and participated in the restoration and re-recording of the soundtrack for the Estonian Television feature film “Blind Windows” (composer E. Tamberg).
Aare Tammesalu has worked as a music producer at Eesti Kontsert and the Pärnu Philharmonic. He has organized performance competitions, including the J. S. Bach Competition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2000 and the Pärnu Violin Competition in 2008 and 2010. Since 1995, he has been the artistic director of the Mustjala Festival in Saaremaa and the Kadriorg Palace concert series. His work has been recognized with annual awards from the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Estonian Music Council, a special prize from the Estonian Theatre Union, and the Hendrik Krumm Cultural Award. In February 2023, the Saaremaa Municipality honored him with the “Deed of the Year 2022” award for organizing the Mustjala Festival, and in 2023, the council of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church awarded him the title “Friend of the Church of the Year.” In January 2025, the Saaremaa Cultural Endowment awarded him its annual prize for organizing an ERSO concert in June 2024 at the Mustjala School Hall in Saaremaa. Aare Tammesalu is an honorary citizen of Mustjala Parish.
The artistic director of the Palace Music Concert Series is Aare Tammesalu.
In cooperation of the Art Museum of Estonia.
Tickets are on sale at the Kadriorg Art Museum and Piletikeskus outlets.
Supporters: Estonian Ministry of Culture, The Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Public Broadcasting, Tallinn Culture and Sports Department, UNESCO City of Music Tallinn, Kultuurikõla, Pointprint
Special thanks: Visit Estonia, Visit Tallinn, Õhtuleht
Concert tickets are not refundable, but if necessary, we can exchange them for passes to other Palace Music concerts
Event timeline/line-up
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