Maarja Nuut (born 1986) is an Estonian singer and violinist. After first studying

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, she turned to

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, adopting the village style of traditional Estonian songs. She debuted as a solo artist in 2013, winning the Artists Prize at the

Tallinn Music Week Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is an international new music showcase, city culture festival and networking event for music and creative industry professionals, held every spring in Tallinn, Estonia since 2009. Operated by Tallinn-based company Shiftwo ...

. In 2016, she began to collaborate with Hendrik Kaljujärv (aka Ruum), who creates his own abstract electronic sounds. Together they have formed a successful duo, releasing recordings and performing at international festivals.

Biography

Born in 1986 in

Rakvere Rakvere is a town in northern Estonia and the administrative centre of the Lääne-Viru ''maakond'' (county), 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. Rakvere is the 8th most populous urban area in Estonia. Rakvere has a tota ...

, Maarja Nuut was introduced to music by her mother, a choir director. When she was seven, she began to take violin lessons, studying at the

Tallinn Music High School Tallinn Music High School ( et, Tallinna Muusikakeskkool) is a special music high school in Tallinn, Estonia. History TMHS was founded in 1961 to ensure a sufficient number of quality applicants to the Tallinn State Conservatory (now Estonian ...

from the age of 12. She then attended the

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') began as a mixed choir of the Estonia Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn Higher Musi ...

. She developed an early interest in folk music while attending music festivals in Estonia and throughout Europe. When she was 21, she travelled to India with the Dutch cellist

Saskia Rao-de Haas Saskia Rao-de Haas (born 1971) is a virtuoso cellist and composer from the Netherlands based in New Delhi, India. She is married to the sitarist Shubhendra Rao. Early life Saskia was born in Abcoude, the Netherlands in a family of music lovers. ...

to study Hindustani music. Back in Estonia, in 2008 she decided to move into folk music which she studied at the

Viljandi Culture Academy University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy ( et, Tartu Ülikooli Viljandi Kultuuriakadeemia) is an Estonian institution of higher education, situated in the provincial town of Viljandi, central Estonia. The UT Viljandi Culture Academy merged ...

, a department of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. Here she discovered 78-rpm recordings of pre-Soviet Estonian village music which inspired her own evolving style. In 2011, she completed her studies at the

University of Stockholm Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, soci ...

, expanding her interest in village folk music, especially in Poland. She graduated with a master's degree in music in 2014. In her current performances based on the violin,

looper Looper may refer to: Animals * Cabbage looper (''Trichoplusia ni''), a member of the moth family Noctuidae * Inchworm, of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies People * Looper (surname), a Dutch-language surname with the meanin ...

, and keyboard, she develops the lyrics from village music into contemporary compositions. Together with Ruum, she released her first album ''Muunduja'' (Shifter) in October 2018.

References

External links

Maarja Nuut's profile on LinkedIn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuut, Maarja 1986 births Living people People from Rakvere 21st-century Estonian women singers Estonian violinists Women violinists University of Tartu alumni Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Stockholm University alumni