Latest Keychange Inspiration Award goes to Piret Hartman, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity at the Estonian Ministry of Culture

• Piret Hartman, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity at the Estonian Ministry of Culture, announced as the recipient of the Estonian Keychange Inspiration Award at the opening reception of Tallinn Music Week
  
• Keychange Inspiration Award honours and celebrates women who have made an extraordinary and pioneering contribution to music
  

At the Tallinn Music Week 2022 opening ceremony on Thursday 5^th  May, Keychange awarded the latest Inspiration Award to the Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity at the Estonian Ministry of Culture Piret Hartman. 

The Keychange Inspiration award honours and celebrates women who have made an extraordinary and pioneering contribution to music and are role models for the next generation. Keychange partners are selecting an Inspiration Award winner in each of their countries. 

Piret Hartman was selected as the Keychange Inspiration Award winner for her contribution to creating conditions for the development of the culture of minorities living in Estonia and increasing the openness of society. Before her position as the Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity at the Estonian Ministry of Culture, Hartman worked as a Chairperson of the Federation of Estonian Student Unions and as a Chief Executive of Estonia’s Social Democratic Party. She has been an Adviser of the Minister of Culture Indrek Saar, including in the matters of integration and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA).

Upon receiving the award, Hartman said, “This award is a great honour for me personally, but also a surprise, and recognition for the whole field of integration. We are committed to giving everyone the opportunity to prove themselves in Estonia and to creating a sense of cooperation and synergy between different communities. Especially now. I am very grateful to my team, the whole field, and all the partners who have contributed to that, inspired and nudged us and believed in us. I am moved to see that this work and passion for making the world a better place have been noticed.”

The award was presented by Helen Sildna, Founder of Tallinn Music Week, the Estonian partner festival for Keychange who said: “Piret’s determination to make positive change, combined with her kindness and deep care for people around her sets an example in leadership as well as gives us faith in positive social change through culture. We should never take good people around us for granted. We are truly thankful and inspired to work with Piret and would like to recognise her brilliant work. TMW and Station Narva would not have been able to achieve what we have in Ida-Virumaa without Piret’s encouragement and faith in us.”

Piret Hartman is the third Keychange Inspiration Award winner from Estonia after Anne Erm who received this award in 2018 for her role as Founder and Director of Tallinn International festival Jazzkaar and the founder and owner of Tallinn’s Club HALL Elena Natale in 2021 for her contribution to the Estonian club culture and gender parity. Previous winners of the Keychange Inspiration Award include Dua Lipa, Jayne Casey and Bernadette La Hengst. 

The 14th edition of the international Tallinn Music Week music showcase festival and industry conference took place in Tallinn and Narva from 4 to 8 May, celebrating collaboration and solidarity. The event hosted a special programme for Keychange 2022 talents and innovators.  

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About Keychange

Supported by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, Keychange is a global network and movement working towards a total restructuring of the music industry in reaching full gender equality, by encouraging festivals and music organisations to achieve at least 50% women and under-represented genders in their programming, staffing and beyond

Keychange consists of partners collaborating from 12 different countries, working proactively to make this change. Each year, over 70 emerging artists and innovators from across Europe and Canada will take part in international festivals, showcase events, collaborations and a programme of creative labs. 

Keychange is led by Reeperbahn Festival, PRS Foundation and Musikcentrum Öst, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, in partnership with Tallinn Music Week, Iceland Airwaves, BIME, Oslo World, Linecheck/Music Innovation Hub, Ireland Music Week, SACEM, Sound City, Way Out West, MaMA Festival, MUTEK and Breakout West.

Keychange is sponsored by FACTOR, Fundación SGAE, GEMA, Gorwelion Horizons, IMRO, the Musicians’ Union, Norsk Tipping, Roskilde Festival, SOCAN Foundation, Songtrust, SoundCloud, STEF, STIM, and Talent Norge.

Keychange 2022 Estonian talents and music industry innovators are Vera Vice, Tuulikki Bartosik, OOPUS, Britt Randma, Kertu Mägar and Sandra Perens.  

Find out more at keychange.eu