Ines Maidre

b. December 22, 1958, Pärnu
Member of Estonian Organ Society and Concert Artist Cooperative

Ines Maidre is a brightly individual concert organist/harpsichordist from Estonia who now lives in Norway. Her virtuosity and passionate musicianship, combined with exquisite stylistic taste and outstanding art of registration have always been emphasized by the critics. After her first recitals in Paris and London in 1990, Ines Maidre was acclaimed by The Musical Times (London) as one of the most promising organists of the younger generation.

She graduated from Tallinn Music High School (piano) in 1977. At the Tallinn State Conservatory, she studied piano with Prof. Bruno Lukk and organ with Prof. Hugo Lepnurm. 1989-1991 she continued her postgraduate studies with Daniel Roth in Paris at the Ecole Niedermeyer 1989-1991 were crowned with a Prix d’Excellence avec felicitations. She has also attended many international masterclasses led by Martin Haselböck, Leo Krämer, Jean Boyer, Olivier Latry, Hans Fagius. At the Concours Musicale d’Ile de France 1991 she won the Premier Prix Unanimité (First Prize). In 1994-1998 Maidre continued her postgraduate studies in harpsichord with associate professor Hans Knut Sveen at the Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen, Norway.

Besides her performing career she has been teaching the organ at the Estonian Music Academy (1986-1992) and since 2000 she is the associate professor of organ at the Grieg Academy in Bergen.

Concert tours have taken Ines Maidre to many European countries as well as to several cities of Russia and South America. Her organist career is marked with some prestigious presentations in the most celebrated cathedrals, such as Westminster Abbey in London, St. Sulpice and Notre Dame de Paris. She has performed at several Estonian music festivals (The Tallinn Organ festival, the Glasperlenspiel, Haapsalu Early Music Festival) as well as at international organ festivals (Nuremberg, Berlin, Haarlem, Brussels, Bergen, Riga and elsewhere).

Maidre's repertory is vast and varied. She is an excellent interpreter of early keyboard music as well as a virtuoso performer of romantic and modern organ works. Due to her perfect ensemble perception, many soloists and groups enjoy working with her. She has performed with various orchestras, under the baton of Martin Fischer-Dieskau, Leo Krämer, Neeme Järvi, Tõnu Kaljuste and others. She has performed the organ part in a number of orchestral compositions such as concertos for the organ by Francis Poulenc, Joseph Jongen, Artur Kapp and Hugo Lepnurm. Maidre has been the first performer of several organ works by composers like Anti Marguste, Toivo Tulev, Peeter Vähi, and Kurt Wiklander.

Thanks to her great pianistic skills Ines Maidre has made it to the stage with performances of major chamber music works by Mozart, Franck, Schumann, Prokofiev, Messiaen a.o. After completing her musical training with a masters degree in Baroque interpretation and harpsichord playing, she has performed regularly with the Baroque ensemble Musica Celines.

Maidre’s scholarly activities also include writing a book about the life and works of the eminent Estonian organ composer Peeter Süda (1883-1920) (EMIC 2005) and in a TV film about the same composer (1993) she featured performing all his major works on different organs in Estonia.

Ines Maidre has recorded organ music for radios and several record companies (Forte, Antes, Eres and Carillon Music). She has released CDs of Estonian organ music by Peeter Süda, Rudolf Tobias and Anti Marguste. Maidre has also contributed to music magazines, writing articles concerning organs and organ music.

In 1995, Ines Maidre was awarded the Annual prize of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia for a series of organ recitals in St. Nicholas Church, Tallinn, with programs like Cantus Nordicus, Swan songs for the Organ, Cathedral Windows, Hymn Music through the Centuries and Legends in St. Nicholas.

Homepage: www.inesmaidre.com

© EMIC 2008

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