Kare-Ülli Kauks (Kare-Ülli Orav by marriage; born 2 June 1961 in

Kehra Kehra is a town in Anija Parish, Harju County, Estonia, most known for its pulp and paper mill. The town is situated on the banks of the Jägala river, and has a station on the Tallinn-Narva railway. As of January 1, 2021, the town had a popu ...

) is an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n singer and music teacher.

Career

Kare Kauks has been vocal-coached by

Heidy Tamme Heidy Tamme (also known as Heidi Tamme, Heidy Laanemäe; born on 5 April 1943) is an Estonian estrada, chamber and pop singer whose career began in the early 1960s.Estonian Encyclopedia. 2000. Volume 14, page 513 Tamme was born in Ulyanovsk, ...

at the pop department of Tallinn Music School. As a promising jazz vocalist, she participated in several jazz festivals in early 1980s, including the one in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

. In 1986, Kare Kauks became the soloist of the extremely popular Estonian rock band Mahavok. In spring 1987, Mahavok won the ''grand prix'' both on Tartu Pop Music Festival, and on

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 49,325 in 2019 ...

festival in Latvia with the song "Mägede hääl" ("Voice of the Mountains") which brought the group attention throughout the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. The

record company A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Melodia released an album by Mahavok, which sold well across the USSR. During the 1990s, Kare Kauks was rarely seen on stage for devoting herself to family instead. In 2001, however, she played the role of

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chil ...

in the Estonian production of the musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

. In 2002, Mahavok released a double compilation album of greatest hits for the band's twentieth anniversary and performed some concerts. They reunited again a few years later, when the founder and leader of the group,

Heini Vaikmaa Heini Vaikmaa (born 5 July 1958) is an Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the se ...

, celebrated his 50th birthday, and Mahavok has continued performing since then.

Personal life

Kare Kauks is married to the diplomat and lawyer Indrek Orav; they have two daughters and live in Tallinn.

References

External links

Kare Kauks at the Tartu Music Festival 2009Kare Kauks on YouTube
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kauks, Kare 1961 births Living people 21st-century Estonian women singers People from Kehra Women music educators 20th-century Estonian women singers Tallinn Georg Ots Music School alumni