During my recent stay in the United States, I had the rare chance to play a Martin guitar from 1921, which is in very good shape. I almost never touch anything that has other than gut or nylon strings, but this time, I thoroughly enjoyed playing this beautiful instrument. I think this is as close… Continue reading
The beginning of January 2015 saw two members of the Ensemble Floridante – Meelis Orgse and me – performing a duo program ‘Sensitive Baroque’ in the Hika Hall of the Hotel Promenade in Liepaja, Latvia. The program mostly consisted of works by the early Italian baroque masters but not only: Girolamo Kapsberger (1580 – 1651)…. Continue reading
Online music education has seen a rapid expansion with the proliferation of the internet, making it more accessible to people around the world. However, private music lessons can still be expensive, leading many individuals to rely on one-way instructional materials that provide information but do not offer any feedback. In a recent research paper (Käo,… Continue reading
Between Christmas and New Year I was invited to play with the Corelli Baroque Orchestra. The program consisted of music by Marc Antoine Charpentier: the famous Te Deum, Messe de Minuit pour Noel and a Concerto for strings. The concerts took place in the St John’s of Tartu and Tallinn. Both freshly renovated and beautiful… Continue reading
Today at midnight I will play a recital at the Old Water Tower of Viljandi. It is part of the annual Viljandi Guitar Festival who published a short interview with me on that occasion (not my translation!): INTERVIEW 1) On which aspects of your performance would You recommend the audience to concentrate? Let’s say that… Continue reading
Yesterday was the international day of music – 1st of Oct. On that occasion Estonian Music Council organized 147 free concerts around the country. The performers included all major orchestras, most of the important chamber ensembles and soloists. The venues ranging from schools, trains and plain to jail and mental hospital. My day started at 10:30… Continue reading
On Sat, 20th of Sep 2014 at 4:00 PM in Pärnu St Elisbeth’s we played a program with the baroque music ensemble Floridante and soprano Kai Kallastu. Members of Floridante that played in that program: Meelis Orgse (baroque violin), Saale Fischer (harpsichord), Tõnu Jõesaar (viola da gamba) and Kristo Käo (theorbo). Meelis has studied the violin… Continue reading
This summer I have to carry around three instruments because my solo program includes music for theorbo, classical and flamenco guitar. The first concert was on 27th of May at the tower of Tartu Jaani (St. John) church The first floor of tower accommodates 50 listeners and has a mystical atmosphere. And the floor is uneven,… Continue reading
Intro and background Besides general health problems, many musicians also suffer from specific, playing-related musculosceletal disorders (PRMD). These are most often connected to the muscles of the back, neck, limbs and face, and have been documented since the end of the 19th century. The highest risk group of PRMD are the female musicians and string players (Zaza,… Continue reading
Learners Need Feedback Anyone who learns a musical instrument wants to know how is he/she doing. In other words, learners need feedback. Sadly, two of the most popular learning models today – online learning and learning by textbooks – tend to omit it almost completely. But what about the traditional and luxurious one-by-one teaching? While I must admit that… Continue reading