Norway’s most popular pop-jazz singer Silje Nergaard will give her first Estonian concert on 11 October with outstanding jazz pianist and composer Espen Berg. At this year’s Jazzkaar Festival, taking place from 9 until 15 October and on 3 November, Nergaard will celebrate her 30 year anniversary as a creative artist by performing new versions of her most popular songs. One-day passes and festival passes will be on sale soon
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The dazzling career of the vocalist and songwriter Silje Nergaard, who has released 16 albums, is full of brilliant achievements. She entered the music scene at the age of 16, when she became known worldwide with the song Tell Me Where You’re Going, recorded with the famous American guitarist Pat Metheny. Her 2001 album At First Light is the best-selling Norwegian jazz album ever recorded. Nergaard has also had outstanding collaborations with legendary artists such as Al Jarreau, Toots Thielemans and Morten Harket from A-Ha. In 2008, she recorded the album with the prestigious pop-jazz orchestra Metropole Orkest, with the title track, A Thousand True Stories receiving a Grammy nomination.
Nergaard has been expected to perform in Estonia for many years already: “We are very happy that one of Scandinavia’s most praised vocalists, Silje Nergaard will shine at this year’s Jazzkaar with the renowned Norwegian pianist Espen Berg. The current situation where musicians have had a slightly slower year than usual, combined with the fact that Estonia and Norway are both rather positive examples in coping with COVID-19, definitely plays a role in being able to invite Silje Nergaard to perform in Estonia,” Anne Erm, the artistic director of the Jazzkaar Festival is delighted with the duo’s first performance in Estonia.
At her Estonian concerts Silje Nergaard will perform songs from her self-titled compilation album released in May, which contains carefully selected gems from among the singer’s best pieces. The album was recorded in collaboration with award-winning jazz pianist Espen Berg, who will also perform with Nergaard this October in Tallinn and Tartu. Espen’s playful and dynamic virtuosity lets Silje’s beautiful voice shine in a soundscape characterised by soft expressiveness. In an intimate concert setting they will perform balladesque songs Be Still My Heart, The Waltz, Japanese Blue, Tell Me Where You’re Going among other hits.
Silje Nergaard and Espen Berg’s duo concerts will take place at Jazzkaar festival on 10 October in the hall of Heino Eller Music School in Tartu and on 11 October at Vaba Lava in Telliskivi Creative City, Tallinn.
The Jazzkaar 2020 team also announces the following changes in the main programme of the festival. The concert of the dazzling Estonian jazz singer-songwriter Kadri Voorand and the praised bassist Mihkel Mälgand, performing with a chamber ensemble, has been moved to an earlier date and to a larger venue. Their concert will take place on Monday, 12 October at 6 pm at Vaba Lava. The concert of Moonlight Breakfast, a duo that emerged from the exotic music
scene of Romania and Austria, has been also moved to an earlier date. Music lovers can dance to their music on Saturday, 10 October, starting at 11 pm at Vaba Lava. Due to the restrictions presented by the coronavirus, Flora Purim and Airto Moreira from Brazil will not perform in the Jazzkaar programme this autumn. We understand that the updated concert times may not be suitable for everyone, therefore the Jazzkaar 2020 Festival offers refund or exchange of tickets for gift vouchers.
Concert tickets for the same artists will be automatically valid on new concert dates. If you cannot attend the concert on an updated date, you can return your ticket or exchange it for a Jazzkaar gift voucher from 20 August until 20 September 2020. Holders of PDF tickets may place their request to return or exchange their tickets here. Holders of regular tickets can return their tickets at Piletilevi sales points, except at Circle K service stations and the Viru Keskus information point. Jazzkaar Festival encourages culture lovers to support the survival of the festival by not returning their tickets. We are grateful to our partners, the public and all jazz lovers for their understanding and cooperation.
Main programme of Jazzkaar 2020 Festival:
“Antarctica 200” Raun Juurikas, Arve Henriksen (Norway), Brian Quinn (Switzerland) & Chamber Choir of Veronika Portsmuth Choir Academy; Anett; Anna Wibe Vibes (Latvia-Estonia); Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA) & Estonian Dream Big Band; Dirty Loops (Sweden), Disco Tallinn Goes Jazz; Hanna-Liina Võsa; Hugar (Iceland) / Niklas Paschburg (Germany); Ivi Rausi & Laura Põldvere; Jason Hunter Group (Estonia-Latvia); JT Conception; Kadri Voorand Chamber Music Ensemble; Liisi Koikson; Moonlight Breakfast (Romania-Austria); Peedu Kass-Theodor Sink; Raul Ukareda; Ramuel Tafenau; Rita Ray; Rymden feat. Bugge Wesseltoft, Dan Berglund, Magnus Öström (Norway-Sweden); Siim Aimla Funk Band; Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg (Norway); Sooäär-Yaralyan-Ounaskari (Estonia-Finland); The Free Musketeers; Vaiko Eplik & Kristjan Randalu and many more!
The main sponsors of the festival are JURA, Jazz Pesulad and Eesti Päevaleht. Annual sponsors are My City Hotel, BMW, Tallink and Aktaprint. The concert of the legendary jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater will be presented by Viru Keskus. Prike, Telliskivi Creative City and Fotografiska Tallinn help set up the festival hub. We are also supported by Reval Café, Overall, MyFitness, Kodupaber, NOBE and Estonian Public Broadcasting. The Embassy of Sweden and Embassy of Norway help us bring the musicians of their countries to Estonia. We would like to thank the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the City of Tallinn and Enterprise Estonia for their support.
The 31st Tallinn International Jazzkaar Festival will take place from 9 until 15 October 2020 in Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu, and on 3 November at Alexela Concert Hall in Tallinn. Check out the updated program on the festival’s website. Tickets are available at Piletilevi sales points and online at www.piletilevi.ee. Keep an eye on Jazzkaar’s activities on Facebook and Instagram.