PILLE LILL ja SOFIA MAZAR / Tallinna Talvefestival

has graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) with two professions – music pedagogy (Prof. A. Vahter) and opera singing (assist. Prof. R. Gurjev). She continued her studies in the master’s program of the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Prof. J. Peters) and defended her master’s degree at the Helsinki Sibelius Academy (Prof. L. Linko-Malmio). In 2004-2011 she furthered her skills in the context of doctoral studies at EAMT (Prof. Jaakko Ryhänen) and in 2005-2006 in the lied class of the University of Karlsruhe (professors Mitsuko Shirai and Hartmuth Höll). In addition, she has taken part of several world-famous musicians’ master classes (Elisabeth Söderström, Irwin Gage, Emma Kirkby, Mauriz Sillem, Wilma Vernocchi etc.) P. Lill has performed as an opera, oratorio and chamber singer in many countries. She has sung the lead role in nearly 30 operas and she has cooperated with several reputed conductors. She has done many recordings for the Estonian National Broadcasting and her voice is perpetuated on a number of CD-s. P. Lill has been rewarded with the Big Dipper award for Best Female Singer (1996), she has been a laureate for Georg Ots Prize (2002), she has been a grantee of the Wagner Society Scholarship (1998) and a 3rd class honoree of the Order of Bishop Platon (2005). She has also been awarded with the UNICEF Bluebird Award (2009), the Estonian Cultural Endowment Award (2014) and 4th class Order of the White Star (2016) and Esther of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Estonia of Estonia. P. Lill was a vocal teacher in EAMT from 1997 to 2013 (assistant professor from 2003) and she has given master classes in many countries (Germany, Russia, Finland, Belarus, Latvia etc.) P. Lill was a board member of Estonian Composers’ Union from 2003-2009, she is a board member of the Estonian Chamber of Culture and the Finno-Estonian Culture Fund. She is also the founder and creative director of the Pille Lill Music Foundation from 2003.

is the co-founder and artistic director of JIOM (Jerusalem International Opera Master-Class), a vocal coach and a pianist. Dr. Sofia Mazar is one of the leading figures in the field of Italian and Russian Opera in Israel. She is an assistant professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she was granted the Europe Forum's award for researching Italian Opera of Ottocento. Sofia is a member of the teacher's staff of the Music & Dance Academy in Jerusalem since 1997, where she serves as a vocal coach. In addition, she serves as a vocal coach in the New Israeli Opera. Dr. Mazar has participated in the Israeli Festival, Haifa Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva. She has also officiated many music festivals and masterclasses, and performed regularly in recitals in Italy, Israel, Russia, Belgium as well as Moscow International House of Music, Turin University, Brüssel Museum, Ramat Gan Theater etc.