Tallinn Chamber Music Festival 2026

The XXII Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, themed “Bridges of Folklore”, was scheduled from 22 to 29 August 2026 across three historic Tallinn venues. The published programme listed eight evening concerts and traced how folk traditions from Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Latin America and Armenia entered classical music. The festival was organised by Muusikute Täiendõppe Keskus MTÜ / PLMF Music Trust. PLMF was founded by soprano Pille Lill in 2003; violinist Anna-Liisa Bezrodny is the festival’s current artistic director, and guitarist-composer Robert Jürjendal is composer-in-residence.

The final two concerts, as listed on 28 August

The published programme listed six concerts from 22–27 August, followed by its final two performances.

• Friday 28 August, 19:00 — “Keys Across America”, Tallinn Town Hall. The 28 August programme lists US pianist Mackenzie Melemed in American piano music by Aaron Copland, Amy Beach, Florence Price, Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Ned Rorem. The official ticket listing also advertised a pre-concert conversation with the pianist at 18:00.
• Saturday 29 August, 19:00 — “Impressions and Expressions”, House of the Blackheads. The 29 August programme lists Estonian Sinfonietta with trumpet players Triin Ustav and Neeme Ots and violinist Anna-Liisa Bezrodny. It places John Rutter’s Suite for Strings before the string-orchestra world premiere of Valeri Petrov’s trumpet concerto on Estonian folk tunes and the world premiere of Robert Jürjendal’s violin-and-chamber-orchestra work Impressions and Expressions. At the 29 August closing concert, the PLMF “Young Musician 2026” award was presented to pianist Tähe-Lee Liiv, as confirmed in the festival’s official recap.

The final two concerts were scheduled for approximately 19:00–21:00. At the time of publication, official ticket pages listed standard tickets at €25, concessions at €20, and supporter tickets at €35 with a front-row seat; a Piletilevi service fee could apply. Prices and availability are historical. The listed concession covered students, teachers, pensioners and disabled visitors with proof. The ticket listing stated that a companion for a disabled visitor and children aged six or younger were admitted free.

Programme dates from 22 to 27 August

The published programme for 22–27 August 2026 listed concerts on successive evenings. The festival’s individual programme pages record each date, venue, performers and repertoire:

• 22 August — Festival Opening Concert – Jürjendal 60, Tallinn Town Hall. The programme lists Anna-Liisa Bezrodny, Lasse Joamets, Sandra Klimaite, Silvia Ilves, Regina Udod, Virgo Veldi and Mika Rännäli, alongside works by Jürjendal, Rózsa, Still, Sallinen and Scriabin. Official programme
• 23 August — Leevi Madetoja – Melodia Intima. The programme lists Anna-Liisa Bezrodny, Mika Rännäli and Silvia Ilves with music by Madetoja, including Melodia intima. Official programme
• 24 August — Percussion Jugglers, Swedish St Michael’s Church. The programme lists Estonian Percussion Group with works by Sumera, Glass and Pärt, plus Lauri Jõeleht’s world-premiere Carillon. Official programme
• 25 August — Home, Sweet Home, Tallinn Town Hall. The programme lists Nicolas Dautricourt, Lasse Joamets, Anna-Liisa Bezrodny, Sandra Klimaite, Silvia Ilves, Regina Udod and Mackenzie Melemed with works spanning Schubert/Liszt, Bach, Ravel, Gade and Piazzolla. Official programme
• 26 August — O Ecclesia, Tallinn Town Hall. The programme lists Anna-Liisa Bezrodny, Lasse Joamets, Sandra Klimaite, Tuomas Ylinen, Virgo Veldi and Mackenzie Melemed with works by Bach, Eespere, Grigorjeva, Uusberg, Kõrvits and Kuusisto. Official programme
• 27 August — Alla Zingarese, Tallinn Town Hall. The programme lists Anna-Liisa Bezrodny, Lasse Joamets, Sandra Klimaite, Tuomas Ylinen and Mackenzie Melemed with Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor and Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor. Official programme

Why this edition matters

“Bridges of Folklore” follows the festival’s description of how folk traditions from Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Latin America and Armenia shaped classical music through the centuries. The programme pairs that theme with a two-century survey of American piano music on 28 August. The published 29 August closing-concert programme listed the world premiere of Valeri Petrov’s trumpet concerto in a string-orchestra version and the world premiere of Robert Jürjendal’s violin concerto. The programme invites listeners to hear folk traditions in conversation with classical repertoire and new composition. PLMF founder Pille Lill described the festival’s original aim as giving audiences, within a short period, an overview of leading Estonian soloists. The 2026 edition carried the European Festivals Association’s EFFE Label for 2026–2027.

Venues and access

The published 2026 programme listed concerts at three Tallinn venues:

• Tallinn Town Hall — Raekoja plats 1. Directions to Tallinn Town Hall
• St Michael's Swedish Church — Rüütli 9. Directions to St Michael's Swedish Church
• House of the Blackheads — Pikk 26. Directions to the House of the Blackheads

The festival's published 2026 schedule and 23 August programme list Tallinn Town Hall. The Estonian Music Information Centre's calendar entry lists Fotografiska Tallinn for that date.

For wheelchair access at Tallinn Town Hall, the venue asks visitors to contact it in advance so ramps can be prepared. Only the main floor is wheelchair accessible, and there is no wheelchair-accessible toilet. For the House of the Blackheads' White Hall, its official contact page asks wheelchair users to notify the venue at least three days ahead on +372 5919 1414. This notice guidance applied to the 2026 concerts; confirm arrangements with the venue directly for any future visit. Other adjustments were not detailed in official sources; ask the venue or organiser if essential.

2026 programme and sources

The published programme listed a Town Hall recital on 28 August and a closing concert on 29 August. The official recap confirms the 29 August closing concert. This page preserves the 2026 schedule; ticket prices and availability are historical.

Dates: 22–29 August 2026 Venues: Tallinn Town Hall, Raekoja plats 1; House of the Blackheads, Pikk 26 Official festival: tallinnkammerfest.ee General ticket directory (not an event-specific 2026 page): Piletilevi’s “For the Soul” listings

Programme and ticket details for the 2026 edition were checked 28 August 2026.