WELCOME TO THE 8TH WINTER ETHNO ESTONIA!
Welcome to Winter Ethno Estonia 2027, happening from January 22nd until 31st.
Once again, we will reside at Kiidi Tourist Farm in Võrumaa. It’s a magical, scenic place in Southeast Estonia where we can spend a lot of time outside and in the sauna, playing music and dancing, learning about the unique traditions of rural Estonia and enjoying the beauty of an Estonian winter. And of course, there will be more than a couple of concerts as well. :)
We will have two amazing artistic mentors – Regina Mänd and Pieterjan Van Kerckhoven! Keep an eye on our social medias to get to know more about them!
Mentor: Pieterjan Van Kerckhoven
PIETERJAN VAN KERCKHOVEN is a Belgian multi-instrumentalist based and active in Belgium. He works as a freelance musician and educator and leads and performs with the ensembles WÖR and EmBRUN.
He is currently a guest lecturer at the Leuven campus of LUCA School of Arts, where he teaches bagpipe and musette playing to master’s students and leads the Folk Music Atelier. It was also at LUCA School of Arts that he completed his master’s degree in Baroque musette and chamber music, followed by postgraduate studies (post-master) specialising in musette.
Mentor: Regina Mänd
Accommodation
We will stay at the local tourist farm where we sleep in shared rooms.
February in Estonia is cold and unpredictable, usually between 0 and -25°C and there (hopefully!) will be (lots?) of snow. In Estonia we never know what is actually going to happen with the weather but just so you wouldn't feel worried – the house will be warm and cozy!
Location
The camp will take place in southern Estonia which is about 3-hour drive from the airport in Tallinn. We will meet you on January 22nd at the Võru bus station in the late afternoon! There are direct buses going from Tallinn/Tartu to Võru but if you’re having any problems with that, please let us know! We will send an info booklet containing all the details needed once you've confirmed your spot in the camp.
Our last concert will be in Viljandi in the Estonian Traditional Music Center in Viljandi (AKA the Folk Music Capital of Estonia, yay!). And our camp will end in Viljandi in the morning of January 31st. Our biggest request is that you don't leave the camp before that time so we can keep our amazing Ethno-bubble strong and give the best final concert. We will provide sleeping spots in the venue for the final night. There are many trains/buses going to Tallinn and Tartu from Viljandi! Tallinn Airport is around 2h away so keep that in mind when choosing your flights!
Fees and registration
There are only approx 25 spots for participants. All the musicians aged 18–35 are welcome.
For EU and US/Canada residents: 350€
For non-EU/US/Canada residents: 250€
The fee includes:
transport during the Ethno camp
food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)
accommodation (ps. if you arrive in Estonia on the 21st of January and have trouble -finding accommodation, please let us know – we can help you!)
NB! The organizers will choose the participants according to the needs of the orchestra. Ethnos aim to include as many people from different backgrounds as possible while keeping the musical level of the orchestra as high as possible.
It should be noted that all this considered, we have to exclude some people!We are not obligated to a further explanation of our decision.
***Registration will remain open until November 11th. We will only be sending acceptance letters after applications have closed***
If you have any questions, please write us an e-mail: eestietno@gmail.com
THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF ETHNO
The goal of Ethno is to inspire musicians through these interactions to deepen their musical interests and to build a global network that supports their careers. Each Ethno camp combines workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals and performances that enable participants to develop both personal and professional skills. Through Ethno, musicians gain a greater understanding of each other’s cultures. At Ethno, music is a powerful tool that fosters inclusion, understanding and acceptance.
The World's First ETHNO took place in Sweden Dalarna in 1990. Nowadays there are Ethno camps all over the world. The coordinator of Ethnos is Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI) organisation, that Ethno Estonia is also a part of. More information about Ethno camps: [https://ethno.world](https://ethno.world/).
ETHNO camps have been regularly held in Estonia since 1997. Back then, two traditional music students, Krista Sildoja and Tuulikki Bartosik, had the chance to participate at the ETHNO camp in Falun, Sweden. This experience gave them a desire to do something similar in Estonia as well. The first traditional music camp inspired by their ETHNO experience, took place in the same year in Viljandi, right before the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, where the youngsters ended the camp with a big concert. Since 2000, the camp is called ETHNO Estonia.
Margit Kuhi, the head of Ethno camps
Margit Kuhi, the Program and Education Manager at the Estonian Traditional Music Center, is an alumna of the Viljandi Culture Academy and a zither player. Since 2001, she has been organizing Kandlekoja PÄRIMUSA camps in Raplamaa and various workshops across Estonia. She has been leading the Estonian ETNO camps since 2009.
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