Kaljo Raid (4 March 1921 – 21 January 2005) was an Estonian composer, cellist and pastor. He was born in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. One of three children, he had an older brother and a twin sister. He studied composition at Tallinn Conservatory under Heino Eller. His Symphony No. 1 was performed in 1944, the year of his graduation. He studied theology in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

from 1945 to 1946 and then at the

Andover Newton Theological School Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

from 1946 to 1949. He taught music at Bethel College in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, meeting

Jacques Ibert Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert (15 August 1890 – 5 February 1962) was a French composer of 20th-century classical music, classical music. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoir ...

and

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

. In 1954 he moved to Canada and became the pastor of the Estonian Baptist Church in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

; he continued in this capacity for 35 years. As a result of a late marriage in 1982 he became stepfather to five children. After retiring in 1989 he devoted himself full-time to composition. He died at

Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill ( 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and the 27th most populous municipality in Canada. Ric ...

in 2005. Among his works are four symphonies and an opera on the life of Polycarp of Smyrna, ''Fiery Chariots'' (1993). He also completed the first movement of

Eduard Tubin Eduard Tubin ( – 17 November 1982) was an Estonian composer, conductor, and choreographer. Life Tubin was born in Torila, Tartu County, Governorate of Livonia, then part of the Russian Empire. Both his parents were music lovers, and his fath ...

's unfinished Symphony No. 11.

External links

* with discography and list of works
Obituary
1921 births 2005 deaths Estonian cellists Estonian Baptists Estonian expatriates in Canada Estonian World War II refugees Musicians from Tallinn Estonian twins 20th-century Estonian composers 20th-century Baptists Estonian expatriates in Sweden Estonian expatriates in the United States 20th-century cellists {{Estonia-musician-stub