Last year, choir conductor Edmar Tuul wrote to Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise, saying a special needs choir was not given the opportunity to audition for the festival.

Madise requested clarification from the Song Festival Foundation (Laulupeo SA) and said the event, the cornerstone of Estonia culture, is supposed to bring people together.

Excluding any group from the audition process due to its members' special needs is inconsistent with Estonia's international obligations as well as the country's own goals, she said.

Margus Toomla, a board member of the Song and Dance Festival Foundation, explained that the choir conductor in question had registered the group as a mixed choir, but the ensemble had neither acquired the required learning materials nor met the conditions set for mixed choirs.

"Additionally, the choir conductor did not inform us of any special needs during registration or the subsequent period. Now that regional pre-auditions — nearly 550 in total — have already begun, the artistic committee no longer has the capacity or opportunity to develop conditions tailored to the choir's special needs," Toomla said.

"The choir is unable to perform the repertoire in the required manner, meaning it cannot be assessed on an equal basis with other choirs," he added.

Toomla recalled that the artistic director of the Song Festival, Heli Jürgenson, had explained these requirements to choir conductor Edmar Tuul in November 2024, and Tuul had indicated that he understood the situation.

"What remains unclear is the statement made by the choir conductor to the media when commenting on his petition to the chancellor of justice, where he claimed that making the Song and Dance Festival more accessible has been an uphill battle, requiring great effort and persuasion," Toomla said.

"The petitioner has not participated in any accessibility working groups and, by making such baseless claims and generalizations, is creating an unjustified, negative, and misleading narrative that pits the Song and Dance Festival against the broader field of accessibility," Toomla added.

He stressed that individuals with special needs have participated in past Song and Dance Festivals and will do so again at the upcoming event, with appropriate support provided.

"When necessary, suitable conditions are created for them to perform in cultural activities — singing the prescribed songs, playing instruments, or dancing — in the same way as all other participants," Toomla stated.

The Song and Dance Festival "Iseoma" ("Kinship") will take place in Tallinn from July 3–6.

The chief conductor of the Song Festival is Heli Jürgenson, the chief choreographer of the Dance Festival is Helena Mariana Reimann, and the general leader of the Folk Music Festival is Helin Pihlap.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!