Olev Oja was born on 16 December 1935 in Viljandi, and did not live to see his 90th birthday. The acclaimed choral conductor was a creative companion of Veljo Tormis — one of his most prolific and devoted collaborators.

The man himself is no longer among us, but his musical feats endure so powerfully that it feels as though he were still present. The work remains. After all, he was a towering figure of Estonian choral music.

Olev conducted more than 40 premieres of works by Veljo Tormis. He helped bring this music into the world and give it voice.

Time and again, Tormis would come to Olev, score in hand, and the Estonian National Male Choir would sing with force. Sometimes Olev himself went to Veljo, twisting a jacket button until he finally obtained a new piece from him.

Through the collaboration of these two men, a vast body of outstanding music has reached us, endured the passage of time, and spread across the world.

A deep bow. There is much to remember.

Olev Oja in the autumn of 2021, when he welcomed visitors from the Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre into his home and reflected on the path he had taken:

“We did what Tormis wanted. We were naïve. We had not yet really lived in this world at all. We went — Tormis in front, we behind him — we went there together, and we grew together.”