Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

Peeter Saan (born 16 April 1959) 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 conductor and reserve officer of the

Estonian Defence Forces The Estonian Defence Forces ( et, Eesti Kaitsevägi) are the unified military forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consist of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary E ...

. He is also a clarinet and saxophone player, as well as an arranger.

Biography

Peeter Saan was born in

Võru Võru (; vro, Võro; german: Werro) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Cather ...

on 16 April 1959. He started studying music at the Võru Children's Music School, majoring in accordion, later clarinet and saxophone. He graduated from the clarinet-saxophone class of the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College in 1983. and in the clarinet class of the Tallinn Conservatoire in 1988. In 2002, he graduated from 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 ...

with a master's degree in wind orchestra conducting. He has researched Estonian military and ceremonial music, and in 2006 he defended his

PhD thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was entitled as "Estonian state music and military orchestras: formation and development in 1918−1940". He has translated books from Russian to Estonian, including the ''Adventures of Captain Wrongel'' by Andrey Nekrasov and ''The Story of a Red-haired Girl'' by Lydia Budogoskaya. He has worked as a musician since the 1980s, playing in the Tallinn Wind Orchestra from 1980–1993 and then in the Estonian Defense Forces Orchestra starting in 1993. From 1995–1996, he served as the band's assistant conductor, deputizing Captain Aivar Raigla. In 1996, he become the chief conductor of Band of the Estonian Defence Forces. Saan, after celebrating his 60th birthday in 2019, resigned from his post in the band and retired, as 60 is the maximum age in the Defense Forces. His resignation effectively ended his 26-year career in the Estonian military, during which he has solely led the band. His last concert with the band took place on 4 April, where the Commander of the Defense Forces

Martin Herem Martin Herem (born 17 December 1973) is an Estonian lieutenant general and the current Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces since 2018. Herem entered into service in 1992. From 2013 to 2016 he served as the Commandant of the Estonian Natio ...

handed him a symbolic sword for his services.

Awards

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle ( et, Kotkaristi teenetemärk; french: Ordre de la Croix de l'Aigle) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a st ...

(1999) *Võru City Coat of Arms (2013) * Order of the City of

(2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saan, Peeter Living people 1959 births Estonian conductors (music) Estonian military personnel Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Tallinn Georg Ots Music School alumni Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle People from Võru