„Saja lugu 5“ Erki Pärnoja ensemble & VHK string orchestra

The closing concert of Jazzkaar 2023 will celebrate five years from the premiere (and so far the only performance) of the cross-genre masterpiece The Story of One Hundred, composed by acclaimed musician and composer Erki Pärnoja. The opening event of Jazzkaar 2018, The Story of One Hundred was a poetic composite portrait of Estonian people in photos, words and music, created to celebrate the centennial of the Republic of Estonia. Photographer Kaupo Kikkas captured the portraits of a hundred Estonians, compiling these into a beautiful photo book with texts by playwright Laur Kaunissaare. The premiere of the multi-part grand composition by Erki Pärnoja, complete with a video performance by Kaupo Kikkas and director Jaak Prints, also included the hundred Estonians captured in the project. The music of The Story of One Hundred, which deeply touched people’s hearts and was inspired by the stories of Estonian people, will be performed again this spring with an expanded lineup: the ten-member original ensemble will be joined on stage by Old Town Educational College String Orchestra conducted by Rasmus Puur.

Estonian multi-instrumentalist and composer Erki Pärnoja is well-known for his work as the guitarist in the Estonian art-pop group Ewert and The Two Dragons. However, he revealed a more diverse and alternative side when he released his first solo EP in 2015, Himmelbjerget. That, and what followed, has introduced him to a wider audience, as a live performer, and composer, pushing boundaries in the field of cinematic instrumental music.

Rasmus Puur studied composition and conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He is a prolific composer whose works include both orchestral and chamber music, as well as choral works and music created for spoken word theatre. In 2017, his opera The Colours of Clouds premiered at the Estonian National Opera. Puur is also an active conductor and since 2015 the leader of Old Town Educational College String Orchestra. He has received numerous awards and scholarships and is holding the position of Culture Advisor of the President of the Republic of Estonia since 2021.