Tiia-Ester Loitme, after graduating from the Estonian Conservatory of Music, worked at the Tallinn English College until 2006. In 1970 she started work along side Heino Kaljuste as a conductor of the Ellerhein Children’s Choir. Together with Heino Kaljuste she has put together music textbooks for grades nine through eleven and is the co-author of the JO-LE-MI methodic handbook. From 1975 to 1981 she taught at the Estonian Conservatory of Music and in 1980 she was a trainee at the Moscow State Conservatory in Vladislav Sokolov’s conducting class.
Tiia-Ester Loitme was the head conductor of Ellerhein Girls’ Choir from 1989 to 2012.
Awards
1987 honoured teacher
1995 Gustav Ernesaks Choir Music Award
1997 Order of the White Star
1998 Tallinn City Honorary Decoration
1999 woman of the year
2002 teacher of the year
2002 good teacher
2002 honorary citizen of Tallinn
2003 Heino Kaljuste scholarship
2004 education prize
2004 Grammy Award for the best choral performance for the Virgin Classics record of Jean Sibelius’ cantatas
2004 laureate of UNICEF’s Bluebird award
2004 Estonian Cultural Endowment prize
2005 Third class Order of the White Star
2008 Honorary Member of the Estonian Choral Association
2009 musician of the year 2008
2011 lifetime achievement award in the field of culture
Recordings
1994 “Prantsuse vaimulik muusika” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
1994 “Üks roosike on tõusnud” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
1998 “Kasvasin kesk kadakaid” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme
2001 V.Tormis “Luigelend” (conductor Anu Tali)
2002 J.Sibelius “Jungfrun i tornet” (conductor Paavo Järvi)
2003 Fr.Bruk “The Hand of God” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme
2003 J.Sibelius “Cantatas” (conductor Paavo Järvi)
2005 C.Kreek “Requiem” (conductor Arvo Volmer)
A.Pärt “Meie aed” (conductor Paavo Järvi)
E.Grieg “Peer Gynt” (conductor Paavo Järvi)
2007 “Siin on ilus elada” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
2008 “Christe, eleison” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
2009 “Ilus maa” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
2009 “Estonian Choral Music” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
2010 “Nüüd ep on ilus elada” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
Collaboration with Japanese record companies:
1997 V.Tormis “Etüüdid helilaadides” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
“Kevadkillud”
G.Ernesaks “Sinu aknal tuvid”
“Vihm päikeses”
2001 V.Tormis “Vanavanemate viisivakk” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
G.Ernesaks “12 kuud”
2003 “Baltic Choral Works II” Estonia (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
2004 “Furusato” (conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme)
“Repeat Performance V” (soloist Sizzle Ohtaka)