Leigo lake music
August 10, 2024

When Tõnu Tamm, the owner of Leigo, went looking for a summer home in Leigo in 1981, he couldn't bring himself to leave. A farmhouse with a collapsed roof, a yard overrun with nettles, a small pond, a meadow full of meadowsweet, and a landscape covered in shrubs deeply fed his dream of a piece of land, which has now become a beautiful home with 14 lakes and several buildings. It took several years for the first artificial lake to be created, and it still has an island in the middle, surrounded by old willows. It was on this island that, in 1998, Tõnu realized his long-nurtured dream, born during his Siberian travels, of listening to beautiful music in the open air.

The first concert at Leigo was performed by Tallinn Brass. However, as Tõnu's dream of a large symphony orchestra did not fit well on the small lake, it was necessary to expand with a larger lake. In 2001, both the lake and the so-called "upside-down umbrella" stage were completed, and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra performed. At that time, and for several years, the seemingly unachievable idea of an organ concert in the open air was realized, thanks to a newly acquired digital organ and almost unbelievable quadro surround amplification.

Over the years, various orchestras have performed at Leigo, including Kremerata Baltica, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, All-Estonian Youth Symphony Orchestra, and choirs like the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Male Choir, and mixed choir Latvija. Large ensembles fit well on the large lake stage, but the musicians and their essence could be better appreciated up close—the stage was too far away. Thus, concerts moved back to the small island surrounded by willows in 2013.

An interesting period at Leigo from 2006 to 2015 saw, alongside classical music, more jazz, folk, indie, and pop musicians as well as theater performances. The audience at Leigo has been delighted by Chalice, Emilia Torrini, Eric Truffaz, Jäääär, Kimmo Pohjonen, Mari Boine, MuM, Nils Petter Molvaer, Siiri Sisask, Ultima Thule, the Urbs brothers, Villu Veski, and many others from around the world.

In 2015, the focus shifted completely back to classical music. A year later, Risto Joost and Marius Järvi established the first festival orchestra consisting of Estonia's best young interpreters. In recent years, a forest stage has been added to the Leigo lake stages, inspiring the performing arts.

Tõnu Tamm and Neeme Järvi have a long-standing and warm friendship. Musicians from the Järvi family have been involved with Leigo since 2008, when the Järvi Summer Academy was held there. Since then, a Järvi has been involved in the festival every year, either as conductor, instrumentalist, or artistic director.