Over 1,400 applications received for Tallinn Music Week 2022

Over 1,400 artists have applied to appear in this year's Tallinn Music Week (TMW), with Russia and Finland topping the table of countries of origin, along with Estonia. The event takes place in early May and coincides with Tallinn being named UNESCO City of Music.
Helen Sildna, Founder & Director of TMW said of the applicants that: "Next to the Nordic-Baltic talent, we have taken great pride in showcasing fresh Russian music."
"The amount of applications from Russia this year proves that there is a significant resource of talent ready to reach international audiences who find TMW useful to support their careers," Sildna went on, according to a press release.
Music from a variety of other parts of the world was also welcome, she said. "We are proud to unite cultures and scenes, finding ways to present interesting music also from Asia, Canada, or the Middle East. It's an honor to make Tallinn and Estonia a center for the meetings of cultures again in 2022, when Tallinn becomes the UNESCO City of Music."
Despite the pandemic, in total, 1,413 artists applied from 74 countries, from October to December last year, while TMW's team of music curators has the task of whittling this down to a line-up of up to 170 artists, to be announced next month or in March at the latest.
Topping the list with 253 applicants is Russia, followed by the host country Estonia, Finland and Germany. Compared with previous years, the number of applications from Germany, the UK and Canada has increased considerably, and interest in TMW remains high also in Sweden and the Baltic states Latvia and Lithuania, organizers say.
There is also continued interest in the festival among artists from farther afield, including the U.S., South Africa, South Korea, Hong Kong, Palestine, Iran, Mexico and New Zealand.
TMW 2022 will be back in its more familiar slot of spring-time, after the arrival of Covid saw the 2020 and 2021 events postponed to late summer and fall respectively, and runs from May 4 to May 8, at a variety of venues to be announced later.
Tallinn additionally bears the UNESCO City of Music title from this year.
The TMW selection panel includes representatives of both Estonian and international music organizations, and experts in various genres and scenes.
TMW has been held since 2009.
Passes for the 2022 festival can be obtained from the TMW store here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte