Tiia Teder

Photo: Kaupo Kikkas

Musicologist, ECU member since 2005
Born on 10.12.1959

Tiia Teder (1959) graduated from the Tallinn Conservatory in 1983 with a degree in musicology. From 1984, she worked as a music editor at Estonian Radio. In 1995, she was one of the founders of Klassikaraadio, Estonian Radio’s new cultural channel, and served as its editor-in-chief until the end of 2025. Since 2026, Tiia Teder has been the music editor of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1989, Tiia Teder has coordinated the Estonian side of numerous international radio programmes and concert broadcasts. From 1994 to 2014, she was the Estonian producer of the International Rostrum of Composers, and from 2015 to 2017, she served as project manager in Estonia for the international project Rostrum+.

Tiia Teder has been a member of the Estonian Composers’ Union since 2005 and has served on the boards of several music organisations. In 2016–2017 and 2023–2025, she was a member of the supervisory board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and head of its Music Endowment. Teder was a member of the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) Music Group from 2005 to 2009 and from 2016 to 2018, coordinating various international projects.

Major works and creative achievements

She has produced more than 20 classical and contemporary music CD albums, including the Estonian Composers series (I–VI).

She has written articles and reviews for Estonian daily newspapers and cultural publications, including TMK, Muusika, Sirp, Postimees and Eesti Päevaleht. She has produced and edited radio programmes and series on musical topics. She has also written radio plays and short stories.

In 2006, she compiled and edited, together with I. Mihkelson, the book NYYDmuusika. Uued helid Klassikaraadios (NYYD Music: New Sounds on Klassikaraadio).

Awards and distinctions

  • 1995, 2004, 2007 – UNESCO Picasso-Miró Medal at the International Rostrum of Composers

  • 2003 – Estonian Radio Annual Award for the Estonian Composers CD series

  • 2008–2012 – Chair of the Music Group of Nordic and Baltic public service radio broadcasters

  • 2012 – Order of the White Star, 5th Class, awarded by the President of the Republic of Estonia

  • 2013 – Felix Moor Appreciation Award

  • 2015 – Annual Award of the Music Endowment of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia

  • 2025 – Maria Żabou Award from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Estonia

  • 2026 – Estonian Music Industry Awards (EMEA) Recognition Award for contributions to the music sector