Creating the Audio and Video Environment of the Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre

This year, friends of choral music in Estonia and around the world celebrate the 95th anniversary of Veljo Tormis’s birth.

Five years ago, the doors of the Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre were opened for the first time. Since then, we have moved forward – the starting point has become a foundation. Yet we still stand in the midst of an ongoing construction site, because creativity, memory, and the preservation of heritage are tasks that never truly end.

Throughout his life, Veljo Tormis strongly wished that all of his creative legacy would be gathered into one easily accessible and open environment for everyone. This work remained unfinished during his lifetime, but now we have the opportunity to fulfill this dream together.

We believe that the Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre carries a broader cultural meaning, serving as a bridge between generations, strengthening singers’ sense of roots, and enlivening Estonian choral culture. Proof of this can be found in the performances of Veljo Tormis’s music at this year’s ISEOMA XXVIII Song Festival, as well as in the “Tormis 95” competition, initiated by the Virtual Centre, which brought together 90 ensembles from around the world.

The Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre has become an important web-based platform that largely relies on materials preserved by the composer himself. It ensures access to, preservation, and dissemination of his creative legacy, while also contributing to the growth of his international recognition. Today, it is no longer just a starting point, but a vital and constantly developing environment that honors Tormis’s heritage and carries his spirit into the future.

The creation of a publicly accessible audio and video environment to preserve, listen to, and view Veljo Tormis’s legacy means establishing a space that brings together historical recordings as well as newer performances, interviews, and other valuable materials.

This offers the opportunity to:
- listen to rare historical recordings and performances
- delve into interviews with the composer and gain insight into his thoughts and creative journey
- discover visual materials, photographs, and documents that reveal the background of Tormis’s life and work
- experience his legacy in a multifaceted way: through music, image, and word

Let us do something great and necessary together – in this jubilee year, let us give Veljo Tormis a gift of values that will last.

The Hooandja campaign link is available HERE.
Watch the introductory video on YouTube HERE.

Photo: Tõnu Tormis