About Me

About Me

…Where words leave off,
music begins.

Heinrich Heine

Violinist Marie-Helen Aavakivi is among the most remarkable young Estonian musicians today. She has performed as a soloist for the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Music School Symphony Orchestra, and the Estonian Music and Theatre Academy’s Symphony Orchestra, Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta, ME103 and others, with conductors Paul Mägi, Toomas Kapten, Risto Joost, Andres Mustonen et al; she has been a team member of the EU Youth Orchestra, Estonian National Opera Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Music and Theatre Academy’s Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, and Tallinn Music School Symphony Orchestra concertmasters. Aavakivi plays with Prof Johannes Paulsen`s precious violin and bow donated to the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) in 2023.

CV

Marie-Helen Aavakivi

  • Member of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians
  • In 2019 she defended her PhD thesis at the Academy, while also working as a teacher there. The title of the thesis was “Repertoire and performing style of prof. Johannes Paulsen’s violin students in the 1930s Estonia” and it was consulted by prof. Kristel Pappel, prof. Urmas Vulp, and prof. Marje Lohuaru.
  • Graduated cum laude from the MA violin programme of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2012, studying with prof.. Alexandr Fischer and prof. Tõnu Reimann. Before that, she studied violin at the Tallinn Music High School from 1995 to 2007 with teacher Toomas Nestor.
  • Aavakivi plays with Prof Johannes Paulsen`s precious violin and bow donated to the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) in 2023.
  • She has published several articles about the formation of the Estonian violin school in magazines “Music” and “Theatre. Music. Cinema;” given presentations on similar topics at conferences in Tallinn and Warszawa.
  • In 2023 Aavakivi got the First prize in the Vlll Danubia Talents International Music Competition in Hungary together with pianist Anneli Tohver.
  • In 2020, she released a CD in cooperation with pianist Ralf Taal, titled “Duo,” where she plays pieces by Johannes Brahms, Eduard Tubin, Franz Schubert and César Franck.
  • Since 2012, she has been a member of the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra, led by the esteemed violinist Gidon Kremer, and has performed with them at nearly 400 concerts in top-tier concwert halls across the world – Europe, Russia, the Americas, Asian and Arab nations, and performed as a soloist and chamber musician at festivals in Latvia (2013) and Costa Rica (2016). She has participated in the recording of numerous highly recognised albums, earning a Grammy nomination with a CD set from 2015 of the works of Mieczyslaw Weinberg, and the ECHO Klassik prize for the 2016 recording of D. Shostakovich’s piano concertos.
  • From 2006 to 2011, she was a member of the European Youth Orchestra; in 2010, she was a 2nd violin concertmaster at the Shanghai EXPO and the BBC Proms festival at Royal Albert Hall, London and in Konzerthaus Berlin. She has worked at the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and as 2nd concertmaster at the Estonian National Opera symphony orchestra.
  • She’s paricipated in master classes by Zakhar Bron, Marianne Boetther, Irina Bochkova, Michael Gaisler, Mi-Kyung Lee, Stanislav Pronin, Marina Chiche, Pavel Bermanand others; taught a violin master class at Shenandoah’ University, USA.
  • She has performed as a soloist with the sympony orchestras of TKO, TMKK and EMTA, as well as chamber orchestras Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta and ME103, with conductors Paul Mägi, Toomas Kapten, Risto Joost, Andres Mustonen and others.
  • She has accompanied  Mikk Murdvee’s ensemble for the recording of composer Mihkel Kerem’s author album (Toccata Classics 2013).
  • As a concertmaster, Aavakivi has been a collaborator at the concerts of the chamber orchestra Klaaspärlimäng Sinfonietta at the “Spiegel im Spiegel” festival in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, at the year-end concerts in the Estonia Concert Hall and Vanemuise Concert Hall in 2016, as part of the Klaaspärlimäng festival in 2021, etc.
  • She has participated as a concertmaster and soloist in the projects of the chamber orchestra Muusika Eestimaale (ME) 103.
  • As a keen chamber musician Aavakivi has given duo chamber music concerts together with pianist Ralf Taal, Irina Zahharenkova, Anneli Tohver, Maarit Saarmäe and others at Association of Estonian Interpreters (EIL), New Concert agency (Uus Kontsert), at festival Musica Sacra concerts to name a few.
  • She was awarded a scholarship by the Estonian National Culture Foundation in 2016.

Discography