Estonian Music Week’s 3rd festival in Toronto has been a long time in the making. Through many iterations, we’ve dreamt up a way to stay true to our mission: bringing talented Estonian artists to Canada to share the stage with Canadian artists on the same wavelength. This year's festival will take place on October 22 and 23, 2021. And whether you’re an Eesti kultuuri ekspert or couldn’t even place Estonia on the map, this one is for you! Programming delves into important issues of our time through captivating musical performances. This truly hybrid festival will have audiences simultaneously in Tallinn, Toronto, Facebook, and YouTube. We will be connecting audiences and bridging communities like never before.

So how will this work technically? There are two stages, one in Toronto and one in Tallinn. Safety permitting, we will have a small audience in each venue. An artist will perform in Toronto, audiences will be able to watch on a screen in Tallinn, and vice versa. There are 7 back-to-back performances spread over two days. And yes, that means those brave Estonians will be performing in the middle of the night! That’s not all: the performances will be available, in full for FREE via Facebook and YouTube around the world. This in particular carries special meaning to Estonians, many of whom are living in the diaspora having fled Soviet Occupation and the Second World War. Thanks to the support of Music Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and our partner the Estonian Foundation of Canada, we are able to once again connect with these communities.

Night One (Oct 22, 6PM) - New Voices in R&B - Free online concert with limited LIVE tickets available

Three young female artists search for their identity in the world of R&B. As writers and performers they explore important themes such as gender identity, mental health, and sexuality as they reclaim a genre that has historically favoured a male perspective.

Estyr (Toronto) - Alt-R&B and Indie Rock. Lush vocals telling lyrical stories of femininity, heartbreak, liminality, and Toronto’s suburbs.

Rita Ray (Estonia) - Estonia’s femme fatale. That classic soul sound backed by a 5-piece of power players.

Kaili Kinnon (Toronto/LA) - Estonian Roots, Toronto born and raised. Smoky alt-pop by a rare and splendid voice.

Hosted by Erik Laar, the Toronto performances will appear on the Northern Birch Stage at the Paradise Theatre on Bloor St. W., while the Tallinn performance will take place at the legendary Philly Joe's Jazz Club.

Limited live tickets will be available - sign up to our newsletter to get first access at estonianmusicweek.ca