On the 1st of March the committee comprising the following persons assembled in Viljandi: Ando Kiviberg - Head of the Estonian Folk Music Centre, Tarmo Noormaa - Programme Manager of the Viljandi Folk Music Centre and lecturer at the Viljandi Culture Academy of the University of Tartu, Vahur Voll - member of the Supervisory Board of BIG, Elo Kalda - lecturer at the Viljandi Culture Academy of the University of Tartu and Kaija-Liisa Tarand - Estonian ETNO Project Manager.
The committee reviewed the applications and letters of recommendation received from all over Estonia and decided to award scholarships to the following young musicians (on the initiative of BIG\'s representative a third scholarship recipient was chosen exceptionally): Johanna-Adele Jüssi, Kadri Giannakaina Laube and Karoliina Kreintaal. The favourable premises were these: the application includes the wish to continue folk music studies on the professional level; the candidate had already participated in an Estonian ETNO camp; the applicant\'s skill of playing the studied musical instrument is so high that (s)he is capable of teaching others. The scholarship recipients were announced and they received the corresponding certificates on the 4th of March at the MAAjaILM Festival in Tartu, at the beginning of the concert of the Swedish band Garmarna. Villu Talsi, Taavet Niller, Henri Veidenbaum and Jalmar Vabarna were invited to participate in an Estonian ETNO camp without the need for paying the participation fee. The Estonian Folk Music Centre undertook to support other ETHNO applications of all candidates and provide them with its recommendations.
The scholarships of Balti Investeeringute Grupi Pank AS (BIG) and the Estonian Folk Music Centre, enabling two young people to participate in the summertime international folk music ETHNO camp in Sweden, were introduced last summer with the aim of offering young musicians additional opportunities for studying folk music. This year the camp will be organised in the city of Rättvik from the 29th of June to the 6th of July.
The next ETHNO scholarship application submission round will be announced on the 23rd of July, the last day of this year\'s Viljandi Folk Music Festival.
