After graduating from the master’s programme of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in classical piano Taavi Kerikmäe (b. 1976) studied contemporary music at the Conservatoire National Supérieure de Lyon. He is currently working in the field of contemporary music, free improvisation and experimental music as a performer and composer and teaches contemporary music, experimental music and free improvisation at the Estonian Academy of Music. Kerikmäe has performed at numerous contemporary music festivals in Europe, USA, South America, South Korea, Greenland, and Thailand. In concert, Taavi performs on the piano, theremin, keyboards and custom-made electronic instruments. He has worked with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Tristan Murail, Vinko Globokar, Kaija Saariaho, François-Bernard Mâche, Alessandro Solbiatti, Louis Andriessen, Helena Tulve and many others.
In improvisation, he has performed with artists: Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Michel Doneda, Le Quan Ninh, Jacques DiDonato, Mart Soo, Isabelle Duthoit, Eric Echampard, Uchihashi Kazuhiza, Paul Lovens, European Improvisers Orchestra and many others.
In 2016, Kerikmäe was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Republic.