From June 20, 2019, the permanent exhibition “Carrying Our Own Tune” is open at the Song Festival Museum.
What makes singing together so powerful? Is it a common thought, expressed in the tune sung by thousands, love of a long-lasting tradition or coming together under the arch of the choir stand? The story of the song festival has several aspects bound up in the first festival of 1869. Time, new composers and singers have changed the festival, grown its capacity, polished its form, and given it a shape which is by no means final but which gives joy to so many people of today. Here we perceive how the song festival was born, how it has been preserved, how traditions have been added and where politics has played a role in it. Here we understand our way of doing things. Culturally, politically, nationally – and as an affair of the heart.
The exhibition celebrates the 150th year mark passing since the first Estonian Song Festival. How was the song festival born? How has it been kept up and what are the traditions accompanying it? How has the politics been involved? These are the questions the exhibition explores.
The curators are Kristiina Tael (Tartu Song Festival Museum), Karoliina Kalda (Tartu University Museum) and Paula Põder (Tartu University Museum), the design is by Kärt Einasto.