Sunday, July 26
Access to the workshops is on a first-come, first-served basis, until all spots are filled. Latecomers will not be admitted.
Morning dance on the beach
Basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach
SUN 26.07 at 10.00
The best way to start your morning is to listen to the music in the best possible way – through dancing! Mia Marta Ruus and friends ask you to join them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning to dance on the basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach so you can start the day well, 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 group / Kreete Viira
Sakala Centre
SUN 26.07 at 11.00
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 session
Lokaal SaharaViljandi (Posti 6)
Target audience: men of all ages, no women allowed.
SUN 26.07 at 11.00 / Lauri Õunapuu
Bring along your favourite songs to share with others!
Theatre TEMUFI hall (Tartu 9)
SUN 26.07 at 11.00 / Kristiina Ehin
Target audience: women of all ages, no men 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 group / Kreete Viira
Sakala Centre
SUN 26.07 at 12.00
Target audience: children aged 3–6 with their parents
Kreete Viira teaches children and their families age-appropriate games, singing games and songs. Children are welcome to attend with their parents, so that later on, you can play these games at home yourself.
Well, slap me sideways! Extraordinary stories in words and music / Tarmo Noormaa, Brett Hiiob, Mari Meentalo, Hanna-Miina Allingu
SUN 26.07 at 12.30, Chamber Hall of Traditional Music Centre
What happens when traditional music research moves onto the stage?
How do chorale melodies sound on the bagpipe? Who are the singing fiddlers in Estonian tradition? Is it possible to reconstruct the Seto fiddle style from the Seto kannel tradition, and what can we learn from the popularity of the Teppo-type accordion?
“Science on Stage” is a hybrid of concert and TEDx-style lecture, in which master’s students in traditional music at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy present their practice-based research projects. Their presentations combine musical examples, visual layers, and explanations that reveal the thoughtful work, choices, and research questions often hidden behind the public performance of a single song, style, or playing technique.
This is a concert for anyone interested in the “why” and the “how” – why a tradition sounds the way it does, how music creates meaning, identity, and belonging, and how tradition lives on and transforms today.
Dance School
Green Stage
SUN 26.07 at 14.00 / Soveldaja pillirühm
To help you dance with confidence and keep the steps straight at the Dance House, Dance School is here to guide you. Talented musicians, singers, and dancers will demonstrate how Estonian villagers and townsfolk once danced. The instructors are the Vigala Folklooriselts Kiitsharakad, who have chosen dance tunes that can be played on the väikekannel. They will also play singing games from their home region of Vigala. Folklooriklubi Maatasa teaches both traditional dances from Southern Estonia and favorite dances learned from friends in the Baltic and Nordic countries, and of course there will also be some of the dance club’s beloved crowd-pleasers. Sõrvemaa Sõrmitsejad introduce dances and circle games from Saaremaa, ranging from the old familiar ones to a few more modern examples. In addition, Emajõe Tantsuklubi teaches some of the best dances from Estonian dance clubs, along with alternative versions from elsewhere in Europe. With Soveldaja Pillirühm, the participants can learn both well-known and rarer dances, and also play a few singing games.
To each their own instrument / Annika Mändmaa
SUN 26.07 at 14.30, Chamber Hall of Traditional Music Centre
Annika Mändmaa introduces traditional instruments and sound-making toys she has made herself from natural materials, including the shepherd’s horn, goat horn, kannel, talharpa, bone whistle, clay whistle, buzz bone, cricket, Jew’s harp, and more. You can sing along, dance, and rap (chant rhythmically). Come with your whole family!