Mission statement
To showcase the high caliber and creative diversity of Estonian and Estonian-Canadian artists
To create a space for collaboration between Estonian and Canadian artists
BACKGROUND
Estonian Music Week (EMW), based in Toronto, is a project by Estonian Museum Canada / VEMU. EMW’s mission is to showcase the high caliber and creative diversity of Estonian and Estonian-Canadian artists and to create a space for collaboration between Estonian and Canadian artists. EMW began as part of the international centennial celebrations of the Republic of Estonia in 2018. This first festival featured 19 performances, 2 exhibits and 1 commissioned composition. Building on the success of the first festival, VEMU organized a hybrid music festival and technology conference in 2019. The 2 day digital technology summit was followed by 3 days of music programming. 2021 brought a hybrid festival that joined performers across two stages 6700 km apart, virtually. Throughout 2022 EMW presented a variety of interim programming ranging from classical music,to jazz, experimental and funk & soul. The full festival format, now on a bi-annual rotation, returns for May of 2023.
Land Acknowledgement
Estonian Music Week acknowledges and thanks the original caretakers and knowledge keepers of this territory: the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Chippewa and the Anishinaabeg, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat Confederacy, and all Indigenous peoples. We honour Treaty 13 and Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant and take seriously our responsibility to peaceably share and care for the resources that surround us. We are honoured to work, create and be inspired in this meeting place called Tkaronto, together with the many First Nations, Inuit and Métis people from across Turtle Island.