Programs and Events
2008
Native American Heritage Month Recognized in Estonia
November 23-24, 2008 The U.S. Embassy served as a port of entry to the Baltic's for three ambassadors of Native American culture – Nolan Black Eagle Eskeets and April Kateri Chavez, accompanied by Timothy McLaughlin, their former teacher at Santa Fe Indian School.
Educational Advisory Centers Use Technology to Focus on International Education
November 5, 2008 The Educational Advisory Center in Tallinn held a professional development seminar for Estonian universities called “Trends in Transatlantic Exchange and Cooperation with the U.S. Universities” as an introduction to International Education Week which is the third week of November.
Jewish Culture Festival Features American Clarinet Virtuoso
October 27, 2008 The 5th Jewish Culture Festival “Ariel” culminated with a concert featuring renowned U.S. clarinetist and composer, David Krakauer, and his ensemble Klezmer Madness. Estonian music lovers of different genres enjoyed Krakauer’s interpretations of traditional Jewish music enriched with modern styles such as hip hop, rock, funk, jazz and soul.
Mickey Mouse hat-making workshop in Kuressaare
October 27, 2008 A group of children on their fall break from school, as well as their parents and other adults, from Kuressaare participated in a Mickey Mouse hat-making workshop at the local American Corner. Many different kinds of fabric and colorful decorations were used at this opening event of the American Corner's full-year theme-program Mickey Mouse 80.
U.S. Scientist Showcases the Relationship between Language, Memory and the Brain
October 24-25, 2008 Michael Ullman, an American neuroscientist known for his Declarative/Procedural model of language, gave a presentation at CLIL Fusion: Multilingual Mindsets in a Multicultural World, an international conference organized by the Estonian Integration Foundation’s Language Immersion Center.
American artist Ed McGowin opened his art exhibition
October 24, 2008 American artist Ed McGowin opened his art exhibition at the Tallinn Art Hall Gallery at the main town square. His exhibition, called "Name Change", was open for three weeks and featured highlights of an artistic project which involved the artist's repeated official applications to change his name, as well as his artistic style.
International break-dance competition Battle of Est
October 17-18, 2009 The annual international break-dance competition Battle of Est 2008 was held in Tartu. In addition to European teams, a break-dance group from the USA, Crew, competed in the Battle of Est 2008.
U.S. Speaker Dr. David Schultz Discusses the U.S. Presidential elections
October 7, 2008 The International University Audentes hosted a U.S. elections-themed film festival. The highlight of the festival centered on the two lectures by visiting U.S. Speaker Dr. David Schultz, who explained the process of the U.S. Presidential Elections and also presented a compelling overview of the long-term foreign policy goals of the U.S. government.
U.S. Violinist Sarah Chang Returns to Open the Estonian National Symphony Orches
September 12, 2008 The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra opened their 2008-2009 season with a performance by noted American violinist Sarah Chang. The renowned violinist was invited to open the season where she performed in sold out concerts in Tallinn, Tartu and Jõhvi.
U.S. Fulbright Teacher Shares His Methods of Promoting Reading
August 15-22, 2008 Jason Finn, a U.S. Fulbrighter and Language Arts Teacher from Pennsylvania, conducted interactive presentations in Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu. His presentation focused on the ways to encourage teenage students to discover the pleasure of reading.
American Award Winning films in the film festival tARTuFF
August 11-16, 2008 The film festival tARTuFF, the only outdoor film festival in Estonia, took place in mid-August in Tartu. This year, the U.S. Embassy supported the screening of two American award-winning films. The general theme of the festival was "love" and the festival featured 12 award-winning films.
Appalachian Fiddler Bruce Molsky Performs at Estonian Folk Music Festival
July 24-27, 2008 U.S. Embassy Tallinn-sponsored Bruce Molsky, an American fiddler, guitarist, banjoist, singer, and teacher, performed and ran workshops at the 16th annual Viljandi Folk Music Festival.
Tallinn University Summer School Hosts UCLA Professor
July 25, 2008 Professor Edward Soja, a world-renowned scientist and postmodern political geographer from UCLA, gave a lecture titled “The Urbanization of the World/The Globalization of the Urban”, which was based on his twenty years of extensive research on urban demographics in Los Angeles.
Small-Town Festival Features American Traditional Music
July 5, 2008 Embassy Tallinn sponsored the third Schilling International Festival of Beautiful Music in the southwestern town of Kilingi-Nõmme, which featured folk music arranger and singer Sam Amidon from Vermont. During this hour-long performance, Sam sang traditional Appalachian ballads accompanied by guitar, banjo and percussion.
U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Band "The Diplomats" gave a concert
June 27, 2008 The U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Band "The Diplomats" gave a concert at Tallinn's Old Town Hall Square. The event was co-sponsored by the Tallinn City Government and the U.S. Embassy Tallinn.
Fulbright student Sarah Son-Theroux opened her exhibition
June 27, 2008 Sarah Son-Theroux, an American Fulbright Student who spent eight months in Estonian rural villages painting landscapes, opened an exhibition of her works at the Estonian Academy of Arts main gallery in Tallinn.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Colleen Graffy Launches Soap Box Derby
June 7, 2008 Deputy Assistant Secretary Colleen Graffy opened Estonia’s second Soap Box Derby as part of the City Day celebrations which took place Narva. Over 1,000 spectators and fifteen participating teams came to Narva from all over the country.
Ernst Lubitch Film Festival
June 2-8, 2008 A week-long film festival called “The Lubitsch Touch” was dedicated to the films of well-known 20th century film director Ernst Lubitsch. Seven original films and one documentary were shown as part of the festival.
IPR Seminar for Estonian Educators
April 14, 2008 Estonian teachers of various subjects gathered at a training seminar for local educators entitled "Know Your Rights." The seminar was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce and supported by the U.S. Embassy.
Jazzkaar featured American musicians Al Di Meola and vibraphonist Roy Ayers
April 16-27, 2008 The annual jazz festival, Jazzkaar featured U.S. Embassy supported American musicians Al Di Meola and vibraphonist Roy Ayers. Jazzkaar's spring festival took place all across Estonia between April 16-27.
U.S. Harpsichord player Joel Speestra performed in Kadriorg Palace
April 12, 2008 the Sixth Harpsichord Festival was held in the stunning 18th Century palace at Kadriorg. The Embassy-supported festival featured renowned international musicians who performed baroque music on authentic period instruments.
Film festival Art in America
March 17-23, 2008 A film festival entitled Art in America was organized by the U.S. Alumni in Estonia organization. The festival explored various aspects of American art and artists and some of the films were accompanied by expert commentary.
English Teaching conference "The Secrets of Teaching English"
March 17-18, 2008 The Tartu University College in Narva and Embassy Tallinn hosted the 2nd International English Teaching conference "The Secrets of Teaching English," which attracted 80 English-language educators from across Estonia and beyond.
Black History Month program in Estonia
February 7-10, 2008 Dr. Todd D. Harvey from the Library of Congress and Anna Lomax-Wood from the Lomax Archives visited Estonia for a series of blues-related lectures in Tallinn and Tartu in celebration of Black History Month.
U.S. Speakers Participated at International Conference
February 6-8, 2008 Embassy awarded a grant to the Estonian Ministry of Culture who invited five U.S. speakers to present at an international conference entitled Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflicts