On the evening of 1 June a formal concert took place in the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki to celebrate the presentation of a baby grand piano made by the “Estonia” piano factory to the Estonian Embassy. The concert included pianists Kai Ratassepp and Mati Mikalai and soprano Pille Lill.
The “Estonia” piano was donated to the embassy by the Helsinki Estonian Academic Club and the Finnish-Estonian Trade Association, which organised collections that received financial contributions from many Estonian and Finnish businesses and individuals. The patron of the collection was maestro Eri Klas, who expressed his joy over this vigorous patronage of culture: “I thank the Estonians and the Finns for their common good deed. Thanks to you, this instrument handmade by Estonian piano makers will fill our embassy with its glorious sounds!”
The director of the “Estonia” piano factory Professor Venno Laul and the chairmen of the Helsinki Estonian Academic Club and the Finnish-Estonian Trade Association Indrek Tammeaid and Risto Tornivaara took the stage before the concert on behalf of all the contributors and thanked the embassy for its good work in building a bridge between the two nations. They also emphasised that the gift is both a recognition of what has been accomplished and motivation and inspiration for future activities.
Estonian Ambassador to Finland Merle Pajula thanked the contributors, partners on the path to developing Estonia-Finland relations, and confirmed that from now on the piano they donated will provide a new sound and spark to the cultural events that take place at the embassy. “I am so pleased that the work of our embassy family has gotten such a response from our friends—this inspires us to continue working hard.”
The white “Estonia” piano will now grace the reception hall of the Helsinki embassy, which was built in 1933, and allow for Estonian music and composers to be introduced to the scores of Estonia’s friends and other guests in Finland more completely than ever before.
SPOKESPERSON' S OFFICE