Music News

The works of composer Mihkel Kerem will fill a symphonic evening in Pärnu

On January 28, the Pärnu City Orchestra will give a generous concert of works by Mihkel Kerem under the direction of conductor Mikk Murdvee. With violinist Triin Ruubel-Lilleberg as the soloist, Kerem's first major instrumental concerto - the Violin Concerto - will be performed, which was premiered by the same performers in Pärnu on February 28, 2019. The recently composed Cello Concerto (2020), in which Canadian-born Dutch cellist Willem Stam will perform as a soloist, will have its world premiere. The evening will be concluded with Kerem’s Symphony No. 6 (2020). The concert is preceded by four days of recording of Mihkel Kerem's music.

Cellist Willem Stam was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. In 2006, he moved to The Hague. Stam’s extensive repertoire spans the entire history of the cello and beyond. He frequently collaborates with living composers, values the opportunity to share meaningful music in unusual combinations of instruments with audiences, and to work with and encourage young musicians.

Triin Ruubel-Lilleberg is a highly acclaimed violinist, chamber musician and concertmaster. She is the concertmaster of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, lectures at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, instructs young violinists at the Järvi Academy in Pärnu and gives mastercourses in Germany and Portugal. Ruubel is also a valued member of the Estonian Festival Orchestra. In 2008, she received the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s annual prize for her musicianship as a brilliant soloist and concertmaster, her high-level musical work in orchestras and ensembles.

Violinist and composer Mihkel Kerem's oeuvre includes over a hundred musical works: it includes eight symphonies, numerous orchestral pieces, two instrumental concertos, ten string quartets, and numerous works for chamber ensembles. Since the fall of 2002, Mihkel Kerem has been living in London.

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