Lauri Jõeleht (b. 1974), member of Estonian Composers’ Union since 2002. In 1996, Lauri Jõeleht graduated as a guitarist from the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School with Tiit Peterson and improved his skills at the Conservatoire of Barcelona in José Luis Lopategui’s class in 1996–1997. In 2001, he graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music, where he studied composition with Profs. Helena Tulve and Eino Tamberg, and obtained master’s degree in 2003 as a student of Helena Tulve and Toivo Tulev. Lauri Jõeleht has been working as a guitar teacher since 1996. Currently he teaches at the Old Town Educational College and Pirita Guitar and Violin Studio. His students have been awarded in several guitar competitions in Estonia and abroad. Jõeleht has been a member of Estonian Guitar Society since 1999. From 2014, he has worked as a lecturer in the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Lauri Jõeleht has written chamber and orchestral music, as well as liturgical music. The important part of his output is formed by choral works created in virtue of the collaboration with Estonian notable vocal ensembles: Vox Clamantis, Heinavanker, Orthodox Singers, Linnamuusikud, Voces Musicales. Besides that, Jõeleht´s works have been performed by Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Narva City Symphony Orchestra, Kaliningrad Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble U:, Ensemble Voces Musicales, Reval Ensemble, Collegium Consonante, Una Corda, Wind Quintet Estica, Ensemble Ars Nova (Rootsi).
In the last decade, Jõeleht has written many solo works that have been performed a number of times. Viola player Garth Knox has presented his Chant Harmonique in Estonia, Spain, Germany and England. Ampla for solo oboe has been performed by Kalev Kuljus, Heli Ernits and Riivo Kallasmaa. Several new works for oboe in different ensembles have been commissioned by oboist Dmitri Bulgakov. Accordionist Külli Kudu has commissioned two solo works and an Accordion Concerto. He himself has been the first performer of most of his guitar works; and these have been played also by Stefan Östersjö, Kirill Ogorodnikov and Kristo Käo. His music has been presented at such festivals as ISCM World Music Days, Estonian Music Days, NYYD Festival, Trialogos, AFEKT, Hiiumaa Homecoming Festival and Autumn Festival of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Jõeleht’s piece Loobumus (Renunciation) won the first prize in a contest of solo pieces for classical guitar, organized by Estonian Guitar Society in 2003. Concordia for two guitars was awarded the Composer’s Prize at the Estonian Music Days Festival 2005. Chant Harmonique for viola and ensemble represented Estonia on the International Rostrum of Composers in 2021.
Photo: Diana Unt