Workshops
If possible, please come to the workshops 10 minutes early to guarantee a spot!THURSDAY, July 27
Nursery rhymes and singing games from Hungary and Vojvodina (Vajdaság) / Sándor Ildikó and Bori MályiTHU 27.07 at 16.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
What are the nursery rhymes in Hungary, how were they sung and played in the past and why should they be played and practiced today? How to teach and use these folk gamesongs and verses? In addition to the theory, the visitor of the workshop also has a great opportunity to learn some of these nursery rhymes and to apply the knowledge gained in their own culture.
Sándor Ildikó is a folklorist who has received the "Dance House Award" from Táncház Egyesület (Táncház Association) for 35 years of activity as a folk dance teacher for children. Sándor is an associate professor at the Hungarian Academy of Dance, an expert in the methodology of song games and children's folk dance, a co-worker of the Hungarian Heritage House.
Bori Mályi is a singer and musician whose instruments include zither, koboz and saz. She graduated from the folk music conservatory in Budapest and is currently studying Turkish music at the World Music Department of CODARTS University in Rotterdam. Since the age of 14, she has been working with Sándor Ildikó as an assistant in children's folk dance programs and also participates as a folk musician and dance teacher in dance halls for children and adults.
The workshop will be translated and helped to bring more closer to all visitors by Tóth Kriszta.
FRIDAY, July 28
Folk dancing on the beachFRI 28.07 at 10.00, Basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach
The best way to start your morning is to listen to the music in the best possible way - through dancing! Two sisters Mia Marta Ruus and Paula Kristiine Ruus musicians ask you to join them on Friday and Saturday morning to dance on the basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach so you can start the day in a great way, letting traditional music into your bones and lifting your mood!
We dance old social dances and spice it up with a few waltzes, polkas, flat foot waltzes and rheinländers. Bring a friend or come alone, you’ll find a dancing partner on the court!
My instrument: bagpipe / Cätlin Mägi and Lauri Õunapuu
FRI 28.07 at 11.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Everyone has their own instrument! How does the music get into an instrument and when and under what circumstances did Estonians start playing all these well-loved folk instruments - answers to these questions will be given by the experts, who will also play beautiful tunes on their precious instruments. The duration of the workshop is thirty minutes and it is suitable for every age.
Baby singing and playing groups / Kreete Viira
FRI 28.07 at 11.00, Sakala Center (Tallinna 5)
Target audience: children aged 0-2 with their parents
Traditional music teacher Kreete Viira invites mothers and fathers to bring their babies to the group where they play age-appropriate games, singing games and sing songs which you can memorise and repeat at home to promote the love of traditional culture in your children.
Men’s singing group / Urmas Kalla
FRI 28.07 at 11.00, Wine bar Mulks (Tartu 7c)
Target audience: men of all ages, no women are allowed.
The mandatory voice and mind wakeup session for all men on all three festival days. Men’s singing group is a chamber of secrets where men twirl their moustaches in the dark, sing manly songs and talk about manly things. Bring your favourite songs to the singing group to share with others.
Women’s singing group / Tammeougu Mari
FRI 28.07 at 11.00, Bonifatius Guild, 2nd floor (Väike-Turu 8)
Target audience: women of all ages - no men are allowed.
Women have preserved our traditional singing culture throughout centuries. The folklore archive is filled with songs from our female ancestors where they talk about their thoughts and feelings. Which of these songs speak to the women of today? Which songs will the women of today leave to their children? We invite all women to join us on three festival mornings to sing about what you’re thinking and feeling. Bring your favourite songs with you so you can share with the others.
Children’s singing and playing groups / Kreete Viira
FRI 28.07 at 12.00, Sakala Center (Tallinna 5)
Target audience: children aged 3-6 with their parents
Kreete Viira teaches children and their families age-appropriate games, singing games and songs. We invite children with their parents to attend. Later on, you can play these games at home yourself.
The true face of Hungarian music / Góbé (Hungary)
FRI 28.07 at 12.30, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Wild musicians from Hungary, whose instrument park includes 80% of all Hungarian traditional instruments, will show you the true face of Hungarian music, talk about its foundations and its roots, and present their own vision of what makes folk music the people’s music.
Dance School / Estonian polkas. Tallinn Dance House Musicians
FRI 28.07 at 13.30, Green Stage
If you want to practice for the dance house and get the steps right, then come to the Dance School! Superb musicians, singers and dancers will show you how the Estonian country folk and townspeople danced in the old times.
Roots in the music/ Flook (Ireland / England)
FRI 28.07 at 14.00, Sakala Center (Tallinn 5)
The awarded Anglo-Irish instrumental band Flook has been active for over a quarter of a century. In this workshop the musicians of the band will talk about their music, instruments and culture and are happy to answer all your questions.
Birthday and jubilee songs / Martin Müller
FRI 28.07 at 15.00, Bonifatius Guild, 2nd floor (Väike-Turu 8)
Viljandi Folk Music Festival is celebrating a round-number anniversary, its 30th birthday. To celebrate the big three-oh, Martin Müller, an excellent Estonian diatonic accordion player and singer will bring along all well-known and lesser-known traditional celebratory tunes from the song treasury of his family and friends. Let’s sing the old songs and learn the new ones together!
Dance School / Estonian polkas. Round dances from Saaremaa.Tammeougu Mari and the girls of Sõrve
FRI 28.07 at 15.30, Green Stage
If you want to practice for the dance house and get the steps right, then come to the Dance School! Superb musicians, singers and dancers will show you how the Estonian country folk and townspeople danced in the old times.
My instrument: kannel / Kertu-Liis Õnnis
FRI 28.07 at 16.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Everyone has their own instrument! How does the music get into an instrument and when and under what circumstances did Estonians start playing all these well-loved folk instruments - answers to these questions will be given by the experts, who will also play beautiful tunes on their precious instruments. The duration of the workshop is thirty minutes and it is suitable for every age.
SATURDAY, July 29
Folk dancing on the beach
SAT 29.07 at 10.00, Basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach
The best way to start your morning is to listen to the music in the best possible way - through dancing! Two sisters Mia Marta Ruus and Paula Kristiine Ruus musicians ask you to join them on Friday and Saturday morning to dance on the basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach so you can start the day in a great way, letting traditional music into your bones and lifting your mood!
We dance old social dances and spice it up with a few waltzes, polkas, flat foot waltzes and rheinländers. Bring a friend or come alone, you’ll find a dancing partner on the court!
Baby singing and playing groups / Kreete Viira
SAT 29.07 at 11.00, Sakala Center (Tallinna 5)
Target audience: children aged 0-2 with their parents
Traditional music teacher Kreete Viira invites mothers and fathers to bring their babies to the group where they play age-appropriate games, singing games and sing songs which you can memorise and repeat at home to promote the love of traditional culture in your children.
Women’s singing group / Celia Roose
SAT 29.07 at 11.00, Bonifatius Guild, 2nd floor (Väike-Turu 8)
Target audience: women of all ages - no men are allowed.
Women have preserved our traditional singing culture throughout centuries. The folklore archive is filled with songs from our female ancestors where they talk about their thoughts and feelings. Which of these songs speak to the women of today? Which songs will the women of today leave to their children? We invite all women to join us on three festival mornings to sing about what you’re thinking and feeling. Bring your favourite songs with you so you can share with the others.
Men’s singing group / Ando Kiviberg
SAT 29.07 at 11.00, Wine bar Mulks (Tartu 7c)
Target audience: men of all ages, no women are allowed.
The mandatory voice and mind wakeup session for all men on all three festival days. Men’s singing group is a chamber of secrets where men twirl their moustaches in the dark, sing manly songs and talk about manly things. Bring your favourite songs to the singing group to share with others.
My instrument: Jew's harp / Katariin Raska
SAT 29.07 at 11.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Everyone has their own instrument! How does the music get into an instrument and when and under what circumstances did Estonians start playing all these well-loved folk instruments - answers to these questions will be given by the experts, who will also play beautiful tunes on their precious instruments. The duration of the workshop is thirty minutes and it is suitable for every age.
Children’s singing and playing groups / Kreete Viira
SAT 29.07 at 12.00, Sakala Center (Tallinna 5)
Target audience: children aged 3-6 with their parents
Kreete Viira teaches children and their families age-appropriate games, singing games and songs. We invite children with their parents to attend. Later on, you can play these games at home yourself.
Contemporary modal music / Ross Daly (Greece)
SAT 29.07 at 12.30, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Ross Daly is a multiinstrumentalist and a composer of contemporary modal music, who is one of the most esteemed experts of Crete’s, his home island’s, musical heritage. In this workshop he will unveil the magical world of modal music and present his ancient traditional instruments: lyre, tarhu and rabab.
Dance School / Flat Foot Waltz. Tallinn Dance House Musicians
SAT 29.07 at 13.30, Green Stage
If you want to practice for the dance house and get the steps right, then come to the Dance School! Superb musicians, singers and dancers will show you how the Estonian country folk and townspeople danced in the old times.
Songs and stories from Tibet / Loten Namling (Tibet)
SAT 29.07 at 14.00, Sakala Center
An excellent singer Loten Namling will give you a chance to get to know Tibetan culture better. The musician will reflect on what gives the songs and stories a spiritual dimension? Is it the same among different peoples and in different cultures? He will naturally illustrate his contemplations with songs and stories and answer all the questions.
The shared sound of Estonian and Ukrainian folk songs / Ruslan Trochynskyi
SAT 29.07 at 14.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Traditional tunes and songs travel alongside people. Ruslan Trochynskyi, a musician who moved from Ukraine to Estonia, has learned from the audiences that several Ukrainian melodies are well-known in Estonia and passed down from one generation to the next. Curious Ruslan has now dug into archives and found out more about the travels of Ukrainian songs that are well-known in Estonia and will now share his discoveries and sing the songs in both languages.
The story matters / Piret Päär
SAT 29.07 at 15.00, Bonifatius Guild, 2nd floor (Väike-Turu 8)
Why do people need stories? Where does a story begin and where does it end?
And if the story exists, then why exactly do we need to tell it or read it so badly?
What’s the difference between telling and reading?
Piret Päär will gently weave this workshop’s thread by answering these and other questions.
Take along your question and come.
Piret Päär is a storyteller. She has been telling stories over thirty years, both to adults and kids. She is also the leader of Storytelling House.
Dance School / Dances from Kihnu. Mare Mätas and youngsters from Kihnu
SAT 29.07 at 13.30, Green Stage
If you want to practice for the dance house and get the steps right, then come to the Dance School! Superb musicians, singers and dancers will show you how the Estonian country folk and townspeople danced in the old times.
My instrument: Estonian diatonic accordion / Juhan Uppin
SAT 29.07 at 16.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Everyone has their own instrument! How does the music get into an instrument and when and under what circumstances did Estonians start playing all these well-loved folk instruments - answers to these questions will be given by the experts, who will also play beautiful tunes on their precious instruments. The duration of the workshop is thirty minutes and it is suitable for every age.
SUNDAY, July 30
Folk dancing on the beachSUN 30.07 kell 10.00, Basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach
The best way to start your morning is to listen to the music in the best possible way - through dancing! Two sisters Mia Marta Ruus and Paula Kristiine Ruus musicians ask you to join them on Friday and Saturday morning to dance on the basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach so you can start the day in a great way, letting traditional music into your bones and lifting your mood!
We dance old social dances and spice it up with a few waltzes, polkas, flat foot waltzes and rheinländers. Bring a friend or come alone, you’ll find a dancing partner on the court!
My instrument: talharpa / Sofia Joons Gylling
SUN 30.07 at 11.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Everyone has their own instrument! How does the music get into an instrument and when and under what circumstances did Estonians start playing all these well-loved folk instruments - answers to these questions will be given by the experts, who will also play beautiful tunes on their precious instruments. The duration of the workshop is thirty minutes and it is suitable for every age.
Baby singing and playing groups / Kreete Viira
SUN 30.07 kell 11.00, Sakala Center (Tallinna 5)
Target audience: children aged 0-2 with their parents
Traditional music teacher Kreete Viira invites mothers and fathers to bring their babies to the group where they play age-appropriate games, singing games and sing songs which you can memorise and repeat at home to promote the love of traditional culture in your children.
Children’s singing and playing groups / Kreete Viira
SUN 30.07 at 12.00, Sakala Center (Tallinna 5)
Target audience: children aged 3-6 with their parents
Kreete Viira teaches children and their families age-appropriate games, singing games and songs. We invite children with their parents to attend. Later on, you can play these games at home yourself.
Women’s singing group / Marion Selgall
SUN 30.07 at 11.00, Bonifatius Guild, 2nd floor (Väike-Turu 8)
Target audience: women of all ages - no men are allowed.
Women have preserved our traditional singing culture throughout centuries. The folklore archive is filled with songs from our female ancestors where they talk about their thoughts and feelings. Which of these songs speak to the women of today? Which songs will the women of today leave to their children? We invite all women to join us on three festival mornings to sing about what you’re thinking and feeling. Bring your favourite songs with you so you can share with the others.
Men’s singing group / Lauri Õunapuu, songs about war
SUN 30.07 at 11.00, Wine bar Mulks (Tartu 7c)
Target audience: men of all ages, no women are allowed.
The mandatory voice and mind wakeup session for all men on all three festival days. Men’s singing group is a chamber of secrets where men twirl their moustaches in the dark, sing manly songs and talk about manly things. Bring your favourite songs to the singing group to share with others.
Music and culture of Quebec / Le Diable à Cinq (Canada)
SUN 30.07 at 12.30, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Excellent folk musicians from Canada will talk about Quebec’s musical heritage. The participants might even learn a tune or two themselves.
The dialects of Estonian song language / Janika Oras
SUN 30.07 at 14.00, Bonifatius Guild, 2nd floor (Väike-Turu 8)
It is common to talk about Estonian and Seto regisongs, but when you listen to recordings of the singers from different locations, you’ll discover that regisong can sound very different from place to place. Folk songs have travelled from one region to another, but some songs, song cycles or musical traits are found only in certain places. In this workshop we’ll go on a little musical journey through Estonia and try to discover the special singing colours of each place.
The workshop is led by Janika Oras, a brilliant singer and a senior researcher of the Estonian Folklore Archives in the Estonian Literary Museum.
Dance School / Social dances from the turn of the 19th century. Tallinn Dance House Musicians
SUN 30.07 at 13.30, Green Stage
If you want to practice for the dance house and get the steps right, then come to the Dance School! Superb musicians, singers and dancers will show you how the Estonian country folk and townspeople danced in the old times.
My instrument: horn / Juhan Suits
SUN 30.07 at 15.00, Chamber Hall of the Traditional Music Center
Everyone has their own instrument! How does the music get into an instrument and when and under what circumstances did Estonians start playing all these well-loved folk instruments - answers to these questions will be given by the experts, who will also play beautiful tunes on their precious instruments. The duration of the workshop is thirty minutes and it is suitable for every age.