The Estonian Television Girls’ Choir originated from a children’s singing studio established by Aarne Saluveer and Eve Viilup within the ETV children’s programming department. Aarne Saluveer served as the studio’s founder and music director from 1990 to 2004. Today, the choir consists of approximately forty girls aged 13 to 20. Most members have a formal musical education and previous choral singing experience, and many are proficient instrumentalists.
The choir’s repertoire encompasses sacred and secular music from various eras, folk music arrangements featuring choreography, modern pop and jazz programs, and large-scale vocal-symphonic works. A cornerstone of their repertoire is the music of Veljo Tormis, performed at numerous concerts dedicated to his work in Estonia and abroad.
The choir’s development has been stimulated by collaborations with renowned musicians and composers, including Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kõrvits, Urmas Sisask, Roxanna Panufnik, Valeri Petrov, Pärt Uusberg, Tauno Aints, Kadri Voorand, Rasmus Puur, and Karin Kuulpak. Top Estonian vocal pedagogues—Ester Lepa, Ludmilla Issakova, Marika Eensalu, Nadia Kurem, and Eha Pärg—have contributed to the choir’s high-quality sound, which has received praise from José Carreras and Brian Eno.
The choir has shared the stage with Estonia’s premier choirs and orchestras, performing under the direction of conductors such as Neeme Järvi, Eri Klas, Andres Mustonen, Eric Whitacre, and Paul Hillier. Additionally, they have performed alongside Imogen Heap, Ola Onabule, Tõnis Mägi, Ivo Linna, Villu Veski, Dave Benton, and many other distinguished artists. Under Aarne Saluveer’s direction, the choir gave the world premiere of Arvo Pärt’s Peace Upon You, Jerusalem in New York. In 2010, Pärt’s cantata Our Garden for symphony orchestra and children’s choir was performed as part of the Nargenfestival to celebrate the composer’s birthday.
The choir is a welcome performer at prestigious festivals and venues worldwide, including Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center (New York), the World Symposium on Choral Music (Argentina), the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival (China), the Golden Gate International Choral Festival (San Francisco), the Cheltenham Music Festival and the Roundhouse (UK), La Fabbrica del Canto (Italy), Polyfollia (France), the International Choir Festival of St. Petersburg (Russia), Sympaatti (Finland), the “Let the Future Sing” Choir Festival (Sweden), Folkbaltica (Germany/Denmark), the European Festival of Youth Choirs (Switzerland), the Singapore Youth Festival, and the Nargenfestival.