Gallery: 'My Song Festival Story' exhibition opens in Tallinn
Earlier this week, "My Song Festival Story," a new exhibition that provides visitors with an overview of Estonia's 150-year-long song festival tradition, was opened at the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum (TMM) in the heart of Tallinn's medieval Old Town.
This year's jubilee Song Festival musical director Peeter Perens and exhibition curator Kristo Matson both spoke at the opening on Tuesday.
"With this exhibition, we have placed the emphasis on the personal memories of festivalgoers, for which we invited people to share their memories," Matson told ETV news broadcast "Aktuaalne kaamera." "We are really happy that people got involved and sent us a total of over 200 photos and a huge amount of written memories, and these memories are all nicely digitized here."
Among the personal memories shared were those of a village girl who attended the XII Song Festival in 1947.
"You can read about how people came, what they packed along with them, what foods they made, who had meat and soured milk, who was called to watch over the house, and how they traveled to the Song Festival," Matson described.
Rarities likewise on display include a songbook from the very first Song Festival in 1869, a souvenir teapot from 1950, neckerchiefs, and badges.
Visitors can also listen to recordings of the songs most frequently performed at Song Festivals throughout the past century and a half, as well as watch plenty of footage from the festivals themselves.
"My Song Festival Story" will be open at the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum in Tallinn through Wednesday, November 13.
Editor: Aili Vahtla