Tallinn Music Week 2021 artist application now open. The Estonian festival will move to May next year

17 November 2020

The next edition of the new music and city culture festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is scheduled to take place in the Estonian capital of Tallinn from 6 – 9 May 2021.  The submission call for musicians wishing to perform at the festival is open until 10 January 2021 at tmw.ee/apply

As the leading showcase of “tomorrow’s music, arts and ideas” in the Baltic-Nordic region, TMW aims to spot and nurture the distinctive talent both in its home region and across Europe’s music markets since 2009. TMW 2021 programme focuses more on the Estonian and the Baltic-Nordic talent, and artists from other countries will be included according to the situation related to the spread of the coronavirus in the given period.

TMW’s 3-day live music festival presents around 150 artists of various genres and origins to an audience of 15,000 people and to 1,000 music industry experts. TMW’s conference offers a 2-day programme of inspirational lectures and strategic discussions, while also connecting artists with the industry experts via dedicated mentoring sessions and one-on-one meetings, all aimed at taking their careers to the next level.

Among the foreign artists to whom the Estonian festival has helped to gain international attention are Shortparis, Kate NV and Lucidvox from Russia, Super Besse and Molchat Doma from Belarus as well as Get Your Gun from Denmark. Some of Estonia’s own TMW performers who have plied their trade internationally are Ewert and the Two Dragons, Maarja Nuut, Trad.Attack!, Mari Kalkun, Mart Avi, NOËP, Kadri Voorand and Talbot.

“The experience that our team gained in making the festival happen this year in a safe manner gives us confidence to go ahead with the event,” says Helen Sildna, founder and director of TMW. “Collaboration networks, new opportunities and knowledge have never been more important, and that is what we want to offer. We are looking forward to promoting music and arts and the city of Tallinn in May, as a kick-off to the summer season.”

TMW has been praised as one of the best winter festivals of the world by The Guardian and The Observer, as one of the most exciting cultural events in the world by The New York Times, and as a tireless promoter of adventurous arts in publications ranging from The Quietus to Forbes. The last edition of the festival that took place in August 2020 has been recognised in international media as one of the first festivals in the world that was able to postpone the event in a timely manner and to carry out the festival, with enhanced attention to health & safety measures and crisis management.

Rita Ray TMW 2020 festivalil: Fotograaf: Valner Väino
Rita Ray performing at TMW 2020 festival in August: Photo: Valner Väino

 

TMW 2021 will be organised in line with the rules applicable to public events, aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

TMW 2021 Early Bird passes are on sale at TMW webshop until 20 December. Festival Pass at 45 euros and PRO Pass at 175 euros are available along with DigiPRO Pass at 50 euros and Supporter Pass at 225 euros, which gives an opportunity to both support the festival and to get an insight into its organisational process.

TMW festival is founded and run by Shiftworks OÜ. TMW’s strategic partner is the industry development centre and export office Music Estonia.

TMW 2020 in figures:

140 performers from 10 countries
60 festival locations, including 11 music venues
11 399 music festival visitors
778 conference visitors on-site and digitally
7776 visits across different city festival events
20 233 festival visits in total