ORIENT – Festival of Oriental Music

Next event: March 27th, 2024 ASG Arena, Vilnius, Leedu. Percussion-ensemble Kodō (Japan)

Last events: April 21st-29th, 2023 in Lithuania and Estonia: Sufi Qawwali ensemble FANNA-Fi-ALLAH (Pakistan), Gypsy ensemble DHOAD (Rajasthan / India), MALOUF ENSEMBLE from Sahara (Algeria)

 


The first ever concentrated show of oriental music in Estonia, a tradition going back to the year 1992, has brought the most authentic performers from India, Siberia, Middle East, Central Asia, Far East, and South East Asia. It is certainly a leading musical event in the Baltic States where music lovers can enjoy performers like Peking Opera, Paṇḍit Hariprasad Chaurasia, ensemble Kodō, Paṇḍit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Jivan Gasparyan, ensemble Huun-Huur-Tu, Alim Qasimov, Burhan Öçal, Sevara Nazarkhan, Gyuto and Gyume Buddhist monks, Kitaro, Tuvan National Orchestra, etc. Keep a close eye on our website and advertising – the show goes on.

Orient Festival – artistically directed by Peeter Vähi – is an event comprising any kind of ritual, folk and traditional classical music of mostly Asian origin. Most of the festival performers are chosen in their natural environment during the numerous visits to the Asian countries. Orient festival aims to be diverse, representing the most important cultural regions of Asia: Arab countries, India, Tibet, Siberia, China, Indo-China, Japan, etc. We must admit that not everything presented during the festival is absolutely authentic and pristinely “pure”. Year by year it is harder to find musicians bearing pure centuries-old tradition. A Siberian refuses to sing without microphone, the works of some Japanese conductors sound more American than those of a true American, an Arab tries to make merchandise out of his faith, a Korean monk demands thousands of dollars for a fee, a Cambodian folk-musician’s favourite refreshment during an intermission is Coca-Cola. Finally, when you manage to find someone who is really authentic, he claims to come directly from Shambhala. That’s the way it is at the beginning of the 3rd Millennium and we have to take it or leave it. Our obvious choice is to take it! Feel free to take the ride with us!

 

Past events: Orient presents 2022, Orient presents 2021, Orient presents 2020, Orient presents 2019, Orient presents 2018, Orient 2017Orient 2015Orient 2013, Orient 2011, Orient presents in 2010, Orient 2009, Orient presents in 2008, Orient 2007, Orient presents in 2006, Orient 2005. See also the cancelled Orient in Palmyra (Voices from the Stars Above the Desert), The Path to the Heart of Asia (CD recorded with featuring musicians of  Orient 1992)

Organizers:
Peeter Vähi − artistic director
Tiina Jokinen − management director
Kadri Kiis − accountant
Olavi Sööt − logistics
Mart Kivisild − design
Johannes Vähi − IT, website
Reno Hekkonens − marketing
Marje Hansar − social media

Special thanks: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Toyota

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