Toomas Valk, a man from Setomaa, has been playing the garmon, garmoshka or, in Estonian, karmoška for more than 25 years and has been named the best instrumentalist in the Seto Kingdom. Two years ago, he was awarded the title of National Folk Musician. Valk said the garmoshka, which originated in Russia, has spread throughout Estonia via the Seto people.

"Accordions in general are very popular instruments that pushed out other folk instruments in their day. And the charm of the garmoshka is that it's easy to carry around. It's a small instrument, but it makes a lot of noise and is easy to play," said Valk, who admits he cannot read music.

Many people have learned to play the garmoshka on their own or taken lessons from an experienced player. Vaike Pärn, from Oisu, joked that she has become an in-demand musician in just five years.

"For example, we went to Tallinn to play in the courtyard of the chancellor of justice's office. We get invited to all sorts of places and we're quite famous," she said.

Playing the garmoshka has become a predominantly female pursuit in Estonia. Rasmus Mattias Hanga, a 17-year-old from Harju County, is something of an exception.

"I was visiting relatives in the countryside. My relatives were playing it and I thought I'd actually like to learn how to do that too," Hanga said.

The Oisu Karmoška Day was organized by two virtuosos of the instrument, Piret Aus and Ruti Enn. Workshops were also led by Toomas Valk, Siim Sarv, Kadri Lepasson and Rasmus Kadaja. Ülo Saaremõts demonstrated what goes on inside a garmoshka. The gathering's longer-term goal is to put on a strong performance at the 2028 Folk Music Festival.

"We're working hard and learning so that when the repertoire is released in the spring, garmoshka players can start practicing the pieces for the festival," Aus said.

Aus estimates that there may be around 1,000 garmoshka players in Estonia.

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