Aarne Saluveer

b. July 28, 1959 Tartu

Founder member of the Estonian Society for Music Education, president during the years 1990–1995
Member of the Council of World Choir Games from 2005

Aarne Saluveer is currently one of the most active figures in the Estonian children’s and youth music scene, as well as a teacher, conductor, and educator.

Aarne Saluveer graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory, majoring in choral conducting and music pedagogy in 1982 in Ants Sööt’s conducting class. He furthered his studies at several Estonian and international courses, including at the Orff Institute at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.

The children’s song studio (Lasteekraani Muusikastuudio) created by Saluveer and Eve Viilup (1990–2004) at ETV (Eesti Televisioon) has developed three high-level choirs: Estonian TV Girls’ Choir, children’s choir, young children’s choir, and pre-school preparation groups. The choirs' musical activities are stylistically broad, including performances of large-scale works and several musicals (The King and I, The Sound of Music). The studio has amply produced skillful choral singers and highly acclaimed soloists.

Since 1993 he has conducted children’s and girls’ choirs and led the joint choir at Estonian Song Celebrations at Estonian Song Celebrations, and was Artistic Director of the 10th Youth Song Celebration Ilmapuu (2007): open-air concert uniting a joint choir of 20,000 singers, symphony orchestras, brass bands and 100 000 spectators. The introductory project to the festival World Tree won a prize at the Many Musics in Europe Contest of the European Music Council (2005).

He has conducted concerts organized in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Their Majesties Japanese Emperor and Empress at their visits to Estonia, and was the artistic director of the 89^th Anniversary Concert of the Republic of Estonia. He has written and arranged music for diverse pop music projects and performed as an instrumentalist and vocalist at the Eurovision Song Contest and international TV shows. As a versatile musician, he has supervised the Carl Orff Schulwerk application course at the Estonian Music Academy. During 1982–1990, he worked as a music teacher in Viimsi Gymnasium, in 1990–2000 as a music producer of children’s programs at ETV. In 2000–2006, he led the Department of Fine Arts at Rocca al Mare School (Tallinn). From 2006 to 2017, he was the director of the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College. Saluveer was also a conducting teacher at the Viljandi Culture Academy and supervised the Chamber Choir there.

Since the establishment of the children’s song studio in 1990, he has been the musical director and chief conductor of the Estonian TV Girls’ Choir and children’s choir. Since 2017, he is also a music teacher at the Haabneeme School.

Aarne Saluveer has made presentations at numerous international conferences and symposiums (World Music Forum in Los Angeles 2005, Assembly of Choral Conductors’ Associations in Buenos Aires 2006, World of Children’s Choirs in Vancouver 2001, General Assemblies of Europa Cantat in Mainz and Lyon) and led international workshops in Europe and America. He has published articles in the International Choral Bulletin and Europa Cantat Magazine, worked as an adjudicator in several choral contests, etc.

He was the President of the Estonian Choral Association from 2000–2012, from 2000–2009 member of the European Federation of Young Choirs Europa Cantat, from 2005–2017 he was a board member of the Estonian Music Council and during the years 2008–2014 a board member of the International Federation of Choral Music.

Aarne Saluveer’s choirs have won international awards at diverse Estonian and international choral contests. Estonian TV Girls’ Choir is the finalist of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing and Eurovision Choir of the Year 2017. It has also won first place and prizes in top competitions in Tolosa, Gorizia, Arezzo, Arnhem, Let the Peoples Sing, etc. The ETV children’s choir won a gold diploma at the international choir competition in Bratislava. At the XI Estonian Chamber Choir Festival, Saluveer won the grand prix with the Tallinn University Chamber Choir.

Saluveer was awarded the annual prize of the Estonian Cultural Endowment in 1999, 2006, and 2007, the annual prize of the UNICEF Estonian National Committee in 2002 and 2007, grant of the Heino Kaljuste Foundation in 2007, and was decorated with the Order of the White Star of the Republic of Estonia in 2004. Aarne Saluveer was elected Musician of the Year 2007 by the Estonian Public National Broadcasting and Conductor of the Year 2007 by the Estonian Choral Association. In 2008, he was awarded the Order of Merit of Tallinn, the Culture Award of the Republic of Estonia (with Maido Saar for the 10th Youth Song Celebration Ilmapuu), and the Riho Päts Fund of School Music scholarship. In 2012, he received the Gustav Ernesaks Foundation main scholarship for choral music, the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation prize for internationally outstanding activity in the field of choral music, and a 2020 letter of thanks from the Viimsi municipality for long-term contribution to the field of music. In 2024, he received the Estonian Music Council prize for his contribution to the Estonian choral movement and music education, as well as the Badge of Honor of the Union of Municipalities of Harju County.

© EMIC 2010
(updated in March 2025)

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