Maren Ülevain

b.  January 16, 1955, Tallinn
Member of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians
Member of the Association of Estonian Theatre in 1982–1989

Maren Ülevain graduated from the in Tallinn Music School in 1978 and from the Tallinn State Conservatory in 1984 under the guidance of Urve Tauts. She has also taken lessons from Galina Kulkina, Linda Saul, Eva Märtson, Pille Lill, Tõnu Bachmann and Ritva Erola. In 2007, she received a Master’s degree at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Ülevain has taken part in the course for vocal teachers at the Sibelius Academy.

1977–1990 Maren Ülevain worked as the Estonian National Opera’s choir member, who also played some solo roles, such as Ninon in Imre Kálmán’s Violet of Montmartre, Fidalma at Domenico Cimarosa’s The Secret Marriage and Frizzi at John Kander’s Cabaret. As the choir member, Ülevain has performed at Royal Swedish Opera, The Bolshoi Theatre, Theatre de la Comedie Francaise and Savonlinna Opera Festival.

As a vocal coach Maren Ülevain has worked with choirs like the female choir of Tallinn University, mixed choir Cantus, the children choir of St. John’s church and chamber choir Laudate Dominum. From 1992 to 2003, she was a singing teacher at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School. Since 2004, Maren Ülevain is a freelance singer and vocal teacher. The list of her students include Alla Popova, Erkki Otsmann, Riina Roose, Silja Trisberg, Darja Pastushenko, Jakko Maltis, Arne Hiob, Helen Tartes et al.

Since 2002, Maren Ülevain has given solo concerts, collaborating with Anne Tüür, Ülle Ritsbek, Eva-Maria Mägila, Juhan-Palm Peipman, Silver Ulvik, Tiiu Maasing, Mare Ots, Riina Gerretz, Jelena Antstal, Anna-Liisa Eller, Indrek Liit, Tiiu Õunapuu, Kadri Ploompuu, Tiia Tenno, Hille Poroson, Kersti Petermann et al. With Eike Ülevain, she performed a concert-show Rotund in 2010.

From the beginning of 2011, Maren Ülevain has performed concerts Viva Sevilla of Spanish music and old Russian romances. From the year 2012, she has been studying in Madrid with a famous Spanish coach, Edelmiro Arnaltes.

Maren Ülevain’s repertoire consists of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Manuel de Falla, F. Garcia Lorca, César Franck and Estonian authors Mart Saar, Artur Lemba, Hugo Lepnurm, Kuldar Sink, Marje Sink and Piret Rips.

In 2004, Maren Ülevain released a CD with old English Christmas carols and in 2008 a book  „Forgotten Singing Teacher“ about Estonian soprano Ludmilla Hellat-Lemba. She has been researching the history of Estonian singing culture since 2005.

Since 2012 Ülevain has been dedicated to interpreting Spanish and Russian music. In a Russian program she performs old Russian romances accompanied by the guitar. Her ensemble partner is guitarist Daniel Julle. In 2013 Maren Ülevain and Estonian kannel player Kristi Mühling made an integrational program of Spanish and Estonian music. The idea was to look through music for the intersection of two cultures. As a result, Ülevain and Mühling performed a concert entitled Romance in December 2013 in Madrid.


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