Ensemble for New Music Tallinn
Since its establishment in 2013, the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn has aimed to bring about innovative, non-conformist music to a new generation of listeners. Recognised as one of the leading contemporary music ensembles in the Baltic and Nordic regions, it consists of a core group of principal musicians and a larger network of collaborators and guest artists, allowing for a flexible and modular performance format.
With an extensive repertoire of over a hundred works, including numerous commissioned pieces, the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn covers a range of contemporary styles and genres. The ensemble has developed a particular expertise in alternative intonations and microtonal music, enabling it to execute the intricacies and technical gymnastics required for these specialized repertoires.
Ensemble for New Music Tallinn digs fearlessly into the stuff of sound. They bring the same attention to detail to minute differences of intonation as they do to theatrical gestures and questions of large-scale form. With accurate, expressive playing and revealing curation, they are one of the most exciting contemporary music groups working in Europe today.
The Ensemble for New Music Tallinn has been responsible for the world premieres of compositions by composers such as Georg Friedrich Haas, Klaus Lang, Dror Feiler, Dimitri Kourliandsky, Gérard Pape, Yair Klartag, William Dougherty, Samuel Cedillo, Helena Tulve, Liisa Hirsch, Justina Repečkaitė, Żaneta Rydzewska, Toivo Tulev, Marc Sabat, Arash Yazdani, Hugo Morales Murguia, among others. The ensemble has performed at several festivals and venues, including ORF Musikprotokoll Graz, Schausspielhaus Hannover, Ostrava New Music Days, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Ars Musica Brussels, Musiikkitalo Helsinki, Unerhörte Musik Berlin, and more.
“I am deeply grateful to Ensemble for New Music Tallinn for giving me a rare and enriching opportunity to experience music within a truly unique sound world. There is a special joy in those moments when rehearsals grow intense and we all work together toward a shared goal. Even when the text and concept of a piece are set before rehearsals begin, the final result can still bring a refreshing surprise. It is this sense of discovery that makes contemporary music endlessly fascinating for me.”
Talvi Nurgamaa (viola)
Ensemble for New Music Tallinn is distinguished by their relentless curiosity and commitment to discovering what music can be. Through their Scrapyard series, they have not only featured my work in depth on multiple occasions, but have also embraced the unusual, the delicate, and the unruly in the music of many others. Their fearless devotion to exploration is a subtle form of bravery; one that gives space, listens deeply, and dares to imagine otherwise.
(composer)
There are many things that cannot be faked or fabricated. Maybe good food is like that—but the performing arts are definitely high on the list. To have a voice, to have something to say, you first need passion, and then you need to stay true and honest to that passion. It doesn’t have to be the truest thing in the world, but it has to be your truth. When you find a group of highly talented colleagues who share that passion, magic can happen!
Contemporary music need not be snobbish or elitist. It need not be boring. It can be deep while still inviting and inclusive. It can be of the people and for the people. And yet, while being all of this, it must keep its quality at the highest level—by valuing and respecting the integrity of the audience, by not cheapening the passion.
That is what we have strived for from day one. We wanted to be a band like those kids in the ’70s who made the music they loved in their parents’ garage and did everything together. So did we: from everyone playing multiple instruments—even learning brand-new ones or building them with our own hands—to designing our posters, ads, websites, recordings, and selling beverages to our audience, to making our own festivals and more—because we didn’t know any better! And not knowing better is often the best way to discover one’s own voice.
(Artistic Director)
Since 2017, ENMT has organised the Sound Plasma — Festival for Alternative Intonations, held annually in Berlin and Tallinn. The festival features performances, lectures, masterclasses, and symposia by ensemble members and invited guests.
