This year, works by two Estonian composers were once again selected to represent Estonia in the programme of the World New Music Days, a festival organized by the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM).
In addition, the festival programme will include a newly commissioned work by composer Madli Marje Gildemann Sink, who received the ISCM Young Composer Award in 2023. The commission of the new work is supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
The festival is held annually in a different ISCM member country. In 2026, the ISCM World New Music Days will take place in Romania, from 23 to 31 May 2026. The Estonian Composers’ Union has been a member of ISCM since 2005, and in 2019 Estonia was selected as the host country for the ISCM flagship event. In 2014, at the ISCM General Assembly held in Wrocław, Arvo Pärt became the first Estonian to be elected an honorary member of the organization.
The Romanian festival’s artistic committee selected for the 2026 programme Helena Tulve’s orchestral work Wand’ring Bark (2024), inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, and Evelin Seppar’s work Iris (2024) for mixed choir. The world premiere of Tulve’s work took place at the Pärnu Music Festival and is dedicated to its first performers, the Estonian Festival Orchestra and Paavo Järvi. Seppar’s Iris is based on a 1967 poem by Jaan Kaplinski and was originally composed for the festival Zeitinsel Arvo Pärt in Germany. Its Estonian premiere took place at the Baltic & Estonian Music Days, performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Helena Tulve has previously represented Estonia at the ISCM festival with her works as well.
Text and poetic expression play an important role in Evelin Seppar’s compositional output. She writes both vocal and instrumental music. Seppar studied at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with René Eespere, Helena Tulve, and Toivo Tulev, and continued her studies at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg. Her works have been performed across Europe, the United States, China, and Australia, by ensembles including the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, SWR Vokalensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, Latvian Radio Choir, among others.
At the core of Helena Tulve’s music are transformation and related processes. In recent years, her works have been performed by ensembles such as Vox Clamantis, Bang on a Can, TM+, U:, Trio Feedback, Robert Fleitz, Theatre of Voices, the Estonian Festival Orchestra, and the Helsinki Chamber Choir, among others. Helena Tulve is Professor of Composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and Artistic Director of the Estonian Music Days festival.
Madli Marje Gildemann Sink’s music is inspired by and influenced by her interest in biological processes and natural phenomena. Among her recent commissions are works written for Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Mondrian, Adelphi String Quartet, Estonian Percussion Group, Pärnu City Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble U:, and others.
ISCM is the largest international network in the field of contemporary music, bringing together over 50 countries, as well as affiliated festivals and new music centres. The World New Music Days are one of ISCM’s most important activities and represent a major annual event in contemporary music for composers worldwide.
Traditionally, the festival presents at least one work by a composer from each member country. At the World New Music Days 2025, held in Porto, Portugal, Estonia was represented by Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes with her work Only Air.