Tartu – City of good Thoughts! About the Festival

Tartu – City of good Thoughts!
Tartu is one of the oldest towns in the Baltic countries.
Its jewels are its town hall, the classicist main building
of the university and St John’s Church, probably one
of the most unique medieval architectural monuments
in Northern Europe. A medieval-style guild of craftsmen has been revived in St Anthony’s Courtyard in
the Old Town. The guild comprises more than 20
handicraft workshops.
Although the written sources mention Tartu for the first
time in 1030, the actual settlement dates from much
earlier times. The green heart of Tartu is Toome Hill,
the Cathedral Hill. This is where the ancient Estonian
stronghold was once built, later replaced by the mighty
stone castle of the Bishop. Above the old trees still rise
the ruins of Dome Cathedral, where viewing platforms
offer a splendid sight of the town nestled in the ancient
valley of River Emajõgi.
Nearby, the famous biologist K. E. von Baer sits in deep
thought on a granite slab.
About the Festival
The festival brings together amateur and professional
choirs that represent the countries of the region. The
total number of the participants is impressive, coming
up to 4 000-5 000 people.
The idea of Nordic-Baltic Choir Festivals was born and
put into practice by Imants Kokars and Olav Storgård.
Nor should one miss Tartu in
autumn, when the student
hordes reconquer the town
with great noise and uproar.
This is the call of old alma
mater.
In December Tartu assumes
the role of Christmas town.
Tartu is a town of museums: more than 20 have
found their home here. The
Estonian National Museum
and the Toy Museum both
deserve a family visit. The
beer museum of the local
brewery A. Le Coq will also
be of interest to the wider
public. Visitors can explore
the industrial brewing process and later also sample
the brewery’s beers.
Theatre performances, concerts, festivals, scientific
conferences are more than frequent occurrences here. If
saturated by cultural experiences, cosy cafeterias will be
the best places to rest one’s legs. Tartu is a town of youth
and spring. The Student Spring Days combine youthful
exuberance with academic traditions. The high quality
promenade concerts of Emajõgi Summer, Hanseatic Days
and music events are summertime attractions in Tartu.
Previous festivals:
I Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival in Riga
(Latvia) 1995
II Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival in Visby (
Gotland Island, Sweden) 1997
III Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival in Skien
(Norway) 2000
IV Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival in Klaipeda
(Lithuania) 2002
V Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival
in Tartu (Estonia) 2008 means:
• thousands of participants coming from their
unique regions,
• choir concerts at open-air venues, churches and
concert halls,
• concerts of professional choirs,
• workshops and seminars,
• choir competition,
• joint concert at Tartu Song Festival Arena,
• Regional Day – singing events in different places
in Tartu region,
• festival party for all participants.
August 5 - 10 In Tartu
Estonia