Ester Mägi
(10. January 1922 – 14. May 2021)
Composer, pedagogue – admirer of folk songs.
Ester Mägi was a composer whose long life and career were centered on chamber music and choral works, with most of her compositions rooted in Estonian folk songs.
She began playing the piano independently, inspired by her sisters and brother, and graduated from the Tallinn State Conservatory in 1951 under the guidance of Professor Mart Saar. From 1951 to 1954, she continued her studies in the postgraduate program at the Moscow Conservatory under Professor Vissarion Shebalin. From 1954 to 1984, Mägi taught music theory at the Tallinn State Conservatory, becoming an associate professor in 1977. In 1999, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Estonian Academy of Music.
Ester Mägi’s compositions have been performed in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Russia, the USA, and Australia. Her chamber music has been interpreted by renowned Estonian and international performers and ensembles, while her orchestral works have been conducted by leading Estonian conductors. Mägi’s choral works are part of the permanent repertoire of many Estonian choirs and have won awards in numerous singing competitions.
Ester Mägi’s compositions have been performed in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Russia, the USA, and Australia. Her chamber music has been interpreted by renowned Estonian and international performers and ensembles, while her orchestral works have been conducted by leading Estonian conductors. Mägi’s choral works are part of the permanent repertoire of many Estonian choirs and have won awards in numerous singing competitions.
For her creative achievements, Ester Mägi received numerous honors: the Prize of Soviet Estonia (1980), the Estonian SSR Music Annual Prize (1985), the Estonian Music Annual Prize (1991), the Estonian Republic Cultural Prize (1996), the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Estonian Cultural Endowment (1999), the Estonian Cultural Endowment Annual Prize (2001), and the Estonian Music Council Annual Prize (2008). She was awarded the titles of Honored Artist of the Estonian SSR (1971) and People’s Artist of the Estonian SSR (1984), as well as the Order of the National Coat of Arms, Class V (1998) and the Estonian Republic Cultural Prize (2014).
A television recording titled “Rahvakunstnikud: Ester Mägi” (1987), in which Ester Mägi discusses her work, is available from the archives of the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR).
The texts have been compiled using materials from Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) and the Estonian Music Information Centre (EMIC).