Since its establishment in 2013, the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn aimed to bring about fresh, non-conformist and newly perceived music to a new generation of audience.
Today, one of the leading groups of contemporary music in Baltic and Nordic region, the ensemble is made of a core of principal members, main musicians, and a larger body of collaborators or guest artists to form a flexibly modular format.
With a growing number of commissioned pieces and specially written compositions, a repertoire of over a hundred pieces, and several dozens of original programs covering various genres and styles of cutting-edge contemporary music, Ensemble for New Music Tallinn is becoming a recognized name in contemporary classical music scene across Europe.
As a leading ensemble, and one of few young specialized groups, in performance of spectral/microinterval music, Ensemble for New Music Tallinn is the in perfect position to promote new views beyond the boundaries of established intonation systems or microtonal music.
We are proud to have been responsible for commissioning and world premier performances by composers including: Georg Friedrich Haas, Klaus Lang, Dror Feiler, Dimitri Kourliandsky, Gérard Pape, Yair Klartag, William Dougherty, Samuel Cedillo, Vladimir Rannev, Helena Tulve, Toivo Tulev, Marc Sabat, Arash Yazdani, Brice Catherin and many others.
ENMT has had performances and collaborations with, among others, Musikprotokoll Graz, Schauschpielhaus Hannover, Ostrava New Music Days Festival, MusicOlomouc Festival, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Ars Musica Brussels, Musiikkitalo Helsinki, Unerhorte Musik Berlin, Acker Stadt Palast, ISCM World Music Days Festival, MIXTUR Festival Barcelona, Baltic Music Days Festival, reMusik Festival and concert series, KLANG Series Helsinki, CrossRoads Salzburg, POFF Black Nights Film Festival, Inner Sound New Arts Festival Bucharest, Resonanta Paris, AFEKT festival, Intsikurmu Forest Festival, PianoEspoo and many other venues across Europe.
ENMT has given workshops, lectures masterclasses and participated in call for scores on Universitat der Kunste Berlin Berlin (UdK), reMusik festival composition masterclasses, Mozarteum University’s CrossRoad, ISCM World Music Days call for scores, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre etc.
Since 2017, ENMT has been organizing a festival dedicated to alternative intonations, Sound Plasma, both in Tallinn and in one of the most important centers of new music, Berlin.
Tallinna Uue Muusika Ansambel (TUMA) on asutatud 2013. aastal ning on rahvusvaheliselt aktiivseim Eesti nüüdismuusika ansambel. TUMA on möödunud aastate jooksul teinud läbi tähelepanuväärse arengu ning on tänaseks kujunenud üheks Põhja- ja Baltimaade juhtivaks kaasaegse muusika ansambliks.
Ansambel on fikseerimata koosseisuga, olles tähtis platvorm uue muusika kogemiseks ja heliloojate võimaluste avardamiseks. Oma tegevusaastate jooksul on TUMA toonud kuulajateni olulise osa nüüdismuusikast ning pakkunud kaasaegsetele loojatele väljundit oma loomingu esmaesitamiseks nii kohalikul kui rahvusvahelisel areenil.
TUMA on tõestanud ennast erinevate intonatsioonisüsteemide ja meediume ühendava muusika esitajana ning on spetsialiseerunud väga kõrget mängutehnilist taset nõudvatele kaasaegsetele heliteostele. Ansambli repertuaaris on kokku enam kui sada nüüdisteost, millest väga suur osa on kirjutatud spetsiaalselt TUMA-le. Seejuures on aasta-aastalt kasvanud ka ansambli poolt tellitavate teoste arv heliloojailt üle maailma.
Tallinna Uue Muusika Ansambel on üles astunud mainekatel rahvusvahelistel kaasaegse muusika festivalidel: Mixtur festivalil Barcelonas, Varssavi sügisel Poolas, CrossRoads festivalil Salzburgis, Ostrava Muusika Päevadel, ORF Musikprotokoll festivalil Grazis, MusicOlomouc festivalil, Ars Musica festivalil Brüsselis, Impuls festivalil Dessaus, intersonanzen festivalil Potsdamis, reMusik festivalil Peterburis, Classical:NEXT esitlusfestivalil Hannoveris, PianoEspoo festivalil, Inner Sound New Arts festivalil Bukarestis, ISCM Maailma muusika päevadel, Balti Muusika Päevadel jt. Lisaks teeb ansambel tihedat koostööd mitmete eesti muusikafestivalidega: Eesti Muusika Päevad, Tallinn Music Week, festival AFEKT.
Samuti on TUMA teinud koostööd erinevate ühingute ja organisatsioonidega: Unerhörte Musik Berliinis, Resonanta Pariisis, Fylkingen Stockholmis, KLANG seeria Helsingis, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival jt.
2017. aastast alates korraldab Tallinna Uue Muusika Ansambel nii Tallinnas kui ühes olulisemas uue muusika keskuses, Berliinis, ainulaadset alternatiivsetele intonatsioonidele pühendatud festivali SOUND PLASMA. Festivali eesmärgiks on tutvustada publikule kõrgetasemeliste kontsertide näol uusimat, Eestis ning Saksamaal vähe kõlanud alternatiivseid intonatsioone hõlmavat nüüdismuusikat. Festivali raames on Tallinnas ja Berliinis toimunud ka arvukalt meistriklasse ja loenguid oma ala spetsialistidelt.
Maria Lume is an Estonian flutist who began her musical education at the age of seven at the Jõhvi Music School.
From 2012 to 2015, she studied at the Georg Ots Music School in the class of Tarmo Johannes. Later, she continued her studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, first with Professor Raivo Peäske (Bachelor's degree), and then with Mihkel Peäske (Master's degree).
In 2019–2020, Maria studied at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music through the Erasmus program under Ilze Urbāne.
Additionally, in 2022, under the guidance of Professor Natalia Sakkos, Maria earned a second Master's degree in Chamber Music.
Maria has worked with many orchestras including Pärnu City Orchestra, the Estonian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Viru Chamber Orchestra. Since 2019, she has been the principal flutist of the Narva City Orchestra.
Maria began performing contemporary music while studying at the Georg Ots Music School in various ensembles and orchestras. During her studies, she also joined contemporary music projects with the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre Sinfonietta and the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn. Her collaboration with the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn began in 2018.
Mirjam Avango began her clarinet studies in 2004 at Keila Music School, her first teacher was Andres Teppo. In 2009 Mirjam entered Tallinn Music High School, where she studied with Vahur Vurm and graduated it in 2013. After that she continued her studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in the clarinet class of prof. Toomas Vavilov, where she got her bachelor’s degree in 2016 (cum laude). 2016-2017 she studied with the ERASMUS+ programme at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig with prof. Wolfgang Mäder, 2017-2022 at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen in the clarinet class of prof. Chen Halevi, where she obtained two masters degrees, also studied historical clarinets with Janis Tretjuks and Teddy Ezra.
Mirjam Avango has been successful in several competitions, including Eduards Mednis competition for young woodwind players „Young Musician“ in Latvia, Ruijena(2011, diploma; 2012, 2nd prize), national competition for young wind players(2013, 2nd prize), Tallinn Music High School competition „Con Fantasia”(2012, 3rd prize), competition for Estonian wind players (2018, 3rd prize), chamber music festival „In corpore”(2012, audience prize and jury special prize), as an orchestra player she has collaborated with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Opera Orchestra, Baltic Sea Philharmonic etc. Mirjam took part in a TV-competition „Classical Stars 2020” for the Estonian Television (ETV). In November 2021 she won the Iris Marquart Prize at the schoolwide competition in Musikhochschule Trossingen.
Mirjam has taken part in numerous master courses (Harri Mäki, Christoffer Sundqvist, Matthew Hunt, Lorenzo Coppola, Karl Leister, Fabio di Casola etc.) and she has appeared as a soloist with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Musikhochschule Trossingen Symphony Orchestra and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout her studies, she actively participated in various contemporary music projects, including premiering several compositions. Her first collaboration with Ensemble for New Music Tallinn was in April 2024.
Toomas Hendrik Ellervee is a violinist based in Tallinn, Estonia. He began his violin studies at the age of 10 in Elva Music School and later in Heino Eller’s Music College in Tartu. In 2024 he finished his master studies in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) in the violin class of Prof. Triin Ruubel-Lilleberg. He has also studied in University of the Arts in Bremen, Germany in the violin class of Prof. Thomas Klug. Toomas also studied conducting in EAMT with Kaspar Mänd (Estonian National Opera).
Toomas has worked with various orchestras such as Estonian National Symphonic Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tartu Vanemuine Orchestra and Estonian Festival Orchestra and has also played in projects of the orchestra of Karajan Akademie of Berliner Philharmoniker.
Toomas’ first engagement in Ensemble for New Music Tallinn was in 2020 Tallinn Sound Plasma Festival.
Talvi recognised genuine passion towards music as a form of expression at the age 17 when founded alternative guitar noise rock band „Marie Curie“. After that she has studied viola in G.Ots Tallinn Music School, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and in Universtity of Music and Perfoming Arts Vienna.
She studied viola with Wolfgang Klos and Ulrich Schönauer, visited several masterclasses for classical and contemporary music as Klanspuren Schwaz with Ensemble Modern, Impuls Graz with Dimitrios Polisoidis and Garth Knox, also Darmstadt with Geneviève Strosser.
Talvi has performed as a viola d’amore player with several improvisors in Vienna. Her numerous collaborations with composers include premiers of Liis Viira’s „Ämbliktektoonika“ for viola solo,Tamara Friebel’s „Nausea“ for viola d’amore and electronics.
She has been a funding member of ENMT and its regular violist from day one!
Paul-Gunnar Loorand is a multi-faceted musician based in Tallinn, Estonia. Besides earning a masters degree with cello from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, he has also graduated Georg Ots Tallinn Music School with pop-jazz bass guitar. This is why he has established himself as a cello section player in the Estonian National Opera, but also in the neo-pop spectacle Neon Fir with bass, not to mention as an active member in Ensemble New Music Tallinn with whatever is required.
Madis Jürgens is an Estonian double-bass player who started his music education at the age of 6 in Tallinn Music High School studying violin with Prf. Tiiu Peäske. At the age of 16 he changed his instrument to double-bass and graduated Tallinn Music High School and Estonian Academy of Music and Theater with Prf. Kaupo Olt on double-bass. Madis also studied at Scottish Royal Academy of Music and Theater with Ian Crawford (BBC SSO) and Thomas Martin (London Chamber Orchestra).
Madis has worked with many Estonian orchestras including Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tartu Vanemine Symphony Orchestra, Pärnu City Orchestra. As of 2017 Madis is working as a double-bass player in Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.
Madis started playing contemporary music at Estonian Music Academy in ensembles and orchestras for playing works of student composers. After graduating he continued to play contemporary projects with Estonian Music Academy Sinfonietta and other groups. His cooperation with Ensemble for New Music Tallinn started with the first Sound Plasma festival in 2017.
Talvi Hunt is an Estonian pianist active in the field of contemporary music. She performs regularly with international ensembles and orchestras, which has brought her to collaborate with Basel Sinfonietta, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, Ludensemble, Ensemble Ö!.
Her festival and concert appearances have included Lucerne Festival, Festival ECLAT, reMusik, Warsaw Autumn, ArsMusica Brussels, PianoEspoo, Ruhrtriennale- Festival der Künste, Beethovenfest Bonn, ISCM World New Music Days, Baltic Music Days.
Talvi is currently a member of Ensemble for New Music Tallinn (EE), Broken Frames Syndicate (DE), Ensemble Ascolta (DE) and Ensemble of Nomads (CH).
Active in the field of education, she is involved in several projects for young audiences under the Estonian National Opera. She conducts regularly contemporary music workshops and is part of the faculty at the Hochschule Luzern- Musik.
Talvi earned her Bachelor's degree at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and completed a Master’s in Contemporary Music Interpretation at Hochschule Luzern- Musik under Prof. Florian Hoelscher. She has participated in numerous masterclasses and contemporary music courses, including the 48th Darmstadt International Summer Course for New Music, IMPULS Academy, Lucerne Festival Academy, and Donaueschinger Musiktage.
https://www.talvihunt.com
Estonian-based composer and conductor, Arash has studied at, among others, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Hochschule für Musik Basel, University of Huddersfield and Estonian Academy of Muisc and Theatre; and has earned degrees in piano, double bass, orchestral conducting and composition specialties.
A former research residency fellow at Institut für Elektronische Musik und Akustik- IEM Graz, he was the 2020 recipient of the Jonathan Harvey Scholarship and a teaching assistant at the University of Huddersfield, England from 2020-2023. In 2024 he received the prestigious Progetto Positano residency award from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
Yazdani’s music is characterized by his application of acoustic and psycho-acoustic phenomena on the fabric of music and his creation of unique auditory experiences with the use of instruments.
His music has featured in the Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele, Musikprotokoll Graz, Warsaw Autumn, Ostrava Music Days, MIXTUR Barcelona, MATA festival New York, IGNM Basel, CrossRoads festival Salzburg, Darmstadt ferienkurse, World Saxophone Congress, L’Archipel festival, Voix Nouvelles Royaumont, ReMusik Festival St. Petersburg, Vertixe Vigo, ISCM world music days festival, among others.
Yazdani is the artistic director of Sound Plasma, a music festival for alternative intonations in Berlin and Tallinn, and the artistic director and conductor of the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn. As the founder and artistic director of Ensemble New Music Tallinn, Yazdani receives the Ensemble Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation in 2026.
Helena Tuuling began her clarinet studies at Põlva Music School, continuing at Heino Eller Tartu Music School, Tallinn Music High School and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Helena has also studied as an exchange student at the Royal Conservatory of Granada (Spain), at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm (Sweden) and in Basel Academy of Music (Switzerland).
She has participated in numerous masterclasses, has completed her master's studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and has studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm in the clarinet class of Hermann Stefansson and Martin Fröst.
Helena has won the 2nd prize at the Estonian National Wind Instrument Competition in 2008 and the 3rd prize in 2012, and performed with pianist Liivi Arder in the finals of the Con Brio competition-festival in 2008 and 2010 (special prizes from the Estonian Interpreters' Association and Estonian Television).
Helena has participated in many orchestral and chamber music projects and is still actively participating in the work of Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Pärnu City Orchestra etc.
Currently she is working as a clarinet teacher at the Kiili School of Arts and is a member of the Wind Quintet Estica, Ensemble for New Music Tallinn and Ensemble U:. She has been a contributor to numerous contemporary music and improvisation concerts and has participated in several new music festivals and courses, such as the Darmstadt Ferienkurse in Germany, the International Ensemble Modern Academy, the Klangspuren Schwaz festival, and the Impuls Academy for New Music in Austria.
As of spring 2022, Karl Erik Laas has a bachelor’s degree in the recording arts (teachers prof. Margo Kõlar and Siim Mäesalu) from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and is on an Erasmus traineeship in the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Before pursuing sound engineering Karl Erik studied cello in the Tallinn Music High School (teacher Mart Laas). He is experienced in recording classical music and live engineering. He has worked as a sound engineer for the Estonia concert hall in Tallinn and as a Head technician of the department of Composition and Improvisational Performing Arts’s events in EAMT. He has been cooperating with TUMA since Sound Plasma 2019.