The last concert in the series Christmas Air will feature mezzo soprano Iris Oja, organist/haprsichordist Ene Nael and oboe player Aleksander Hännikäinen. The concert will take place on December 18 at 6 pm at St. John’s Church in Tallinn. The program consists of solo songs by Henry Purcell, Jean Sibelius, Pietro Yon and Galina Grigorjeva, airs by Georg Friedrich Händel and instrumental pieces by Händel and Georg Philipp Telemann.

The new Advent and Christmas time concert series Christmas Air, organized by the State Concert Institute Eesti Kontsert in cooperation with Estonian Evangelical Lutheral Church, started at the end on November. The aim of the concerts is to value Estonian churches and performers of academic music. Christmas Air presents acknowledged singers and instrumentalists. The repertoire consists of arias from oratorios and cantatas as well as loved Christmas carols and instrumental pieces.

Iris Ojagraduated from Tallinn Music High School as a choral conductor with Reet Ratassepp and from Tallinn Georg Ots Music School singing class of Tõnu Bachmann. In 1999–2003 she continued her singing studies at the Estonian Academy of Music with Professor Taru Valjakka and Professor Ivo Kuusk. Since 2003 she is obtaining her Master’s degree at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. She has participated in the masterclasses of Ellen Hargis, Rudolf Piernay an Roger Vignoles. She has sang in the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir, since 2000 she works as a singer in the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and belongs to the contemporary music ensemble Resonablis since 2002.

Iris Oja Photo: Kaupo Kikkas

Oja has performed solo parts in numerous vocal-symphonic works, perfromed as a chamber singer and participated in stage work productions. Whilst Oja has focused on interpreting contemporary music, she has participated in the premieres of several new works by composers from Estonia (Galina Grigorjeva, Age Hirv, Liis Jürgens, Tatjana Kozlova, Ülo Krigul, Kristjan Kõrver, Märt-Matis Lill, Malle Maltis, Alo Põldmäe, Rein Rannap, Mart Siimer, Eino Tamberg, Veljo Tormis, Toivo Tulev, Helena Tulve) as well from abroad (Antti Auvinen (Finland), Alberto Iglesias (Spain), Li Jiantong (China), Klaus Ib Jørgensen (Denmark), Santa Ratniece (Latvia)). She has cooperated with several acknowledged conductors, orchestras and musicians.

Agnes Toomla

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