The relevant cooperation agreement was approved by Tallinn city government at a meeting on Wednesday and still needs to be approved by the Tallinn city council, spokespeople for the Ministry of the Interior said.

Janne Pikma, deputy director general of the PPA, said that details of the orchestra's transfer will be agreed in the coming months, with the board doing its utmost to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible for the members of the orchestra.

The orchestra will also continue rehearsals and active concert activities, Pikma added.

Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani (Center) said it is essntial for the ministry to support professional wind music to continue in order to keep alive the continuity and traditions of the wind orchestra.

"It is an important symbol for Estonia as a country, but especially for the area of administration of the Ministry of the Interior, whose highest goal has always been to create a sense of unity. It is therefore particularly significant that the name of the orchestra will henceforth include both the name of Tallinn, the capital and largest municipality of Estonia, and a reference to the police. This indeed was also the case with the predecessor of the current orchestra, the Tallinn Police Officers' Orchestra," Jaani said.

The minister added that he is satisfied with the terms of the cooperation agreement, according to which all 34 members of the orchestra will have the opportunity to continue. 

Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) meanwhile noted that the tradition of the police orchestra, a band with a historic legacy which traces its history back to 1928, should not end in 2021.

"Also as part of the structure of Tallinn, the orchestra will continue to have the important task of creating festive and sublime moments on anniversaries that are symbolic for the Estonian state. Tallinn is a candidate for the City of Music of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and for that reason alone we could not have allowed the disappearance of this unique music collective," Kõlvart added.

Kristiina Veerde, head of the Police and Border Guard Orchestra, said that on Wednesday morning the entire orchestra team met with the mayor, who explained the substance of the cooperation agreement and confirmed the intentions of good cooperation.

"The most important thing for us is that the posts of the orchestra members are preserved and that we can continue creative activities in our current composition. We will also work with the Police and Border Guard Board and perform at national events as well as public events," Veerde said.

The minister of the interior and the mayor will sign the agreement during a ceremony on Vabaduse Square on Sept. 24, after which the Tallinn Police Orchestra will give a free public concert.

ERR News wrote on May 17 that the EDF would lay off their entire orchestra as a measure to meet the government's austerity plans. The PPA's orchestra followed soon, but an idea to merge the two orchestras was proposed by the Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani (Center).

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