Lemmo Erendy
June 8, 1939, Tallinn – April 11, 1996 (remained missing)Violinist and violin teacher Lemmo Erendy began his violin studies at the age of 8. He graduated from the Tallinn Music School with Herbert Laan in 1956 and from the Leningrad Conservatory in Russia under the supervision of Mikhail Vaiman in 1962.
He has worked as a concertmaster in the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (1962–1974) and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (1962–1977), founded in 1961 by Estonian flutist Samuel Saulus. In 1978–1982, Lemmo Erendy was a concertmaster in the Ecuador National Symphony Orchestra and a violin teacher at the Guayaquil National Conservatory. For his work in Ecuador, he was awarded the gold medal and he received recognition in local newspapers. Back in Estonia, he was a member of the first violin section in the Estonian National Opera Symphony Orchestra (1985–1989). In 1990–1991, he accepted the concertmaster position of the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, playing also in the Guadalajara Orchestra. Both in Ecuador and Mexico, Lemmo Erendy also gave solo recitals, performing among others Estonian violin music.
During his career as a violinist, he appeared as a soloist with orchestras, in various chamber ensembles, and gave numerous solo recitals. Lemmo Erendy’s main ensemble partner was a pianist Valdur Roots with whom he has performed over 20 different programs. The music of French composers, including Camille Saint-Saëns, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud, was especially close to his heart. He also considered it his duty to introduce Estonian contemporary music both in Estonia and abroad. He premiered numerous new works by Estonian composers (Jaan Rääts, Rein Laul, Alo Põldmäe, Kuldar Sink, Boriss Parsadanjan, Helmut Rosenvald, Mati Kuulberg, Raimo Kangro and others).
In addition to his solo activities, Lemmo Erendy also paid much attention to chamber music. He was a member of ensembles Triosonaat, Barocco Revaliensis, Trio Nostalgia (Finland), violin duo with Mati Kärmas and string quartet with violinist Mati Kärmas, viola player Ants Toomingas and cellist Ivo Juul (1966–1978). The string quartet was the first performer of several works by Estonian composers and it appeared in different cities of the former Soviet Union, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg (former Leningrad).
Lemmo Erendy has recorded over 150 works to Estonian Radio and he plays on several compilation albums. He has released two solo LPs with Estonian violin music on the record label Melodiya (1987, 1990) and a solo CD From baroque to salon music (1995).
Lemmo Erendy worked as a violin teacher at the Ecuadorian Conservatory, the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School (1974–1978 and 1982–1984) and the Liminga Music School near Oulu and the Vantaa Music School in Finland (1991–1996). He has also given master courses in Keuru, Finland.
In 1981, Lemmo Erendy was awarded the Great Gold Medal of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ecuador.
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