Duo Anna-Liisa Eller & Taavi Kerikmäe
Anna-Liisa Eller & Taavi Kerikmäe play on rare instruments: the duo unique combination of
sensitive musicians, delicate but rich sounds. They combine cembal d’amore, arpanetta,
plucked psalteries and clavichords Special interest of this duo is on a hidden treasure: Nordic
and Estonian baroque music. Seldom heard Estonian baroque music played by virtuoso
Estonian duo on historical instruments is special and unique.
ANNA-LIISA ELLER
ANNA-LIISA ELLER is a player of historical plucked istruments such as psalteries, arpanetta etc and Estonian chromatic kannel. Anna-Liisa graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre master degree in 2014 cum laude under Prof. Kristi Mühling. In the year of 2013 she studied in Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon (Prof. Yves Rechsteiner) and in the year of 2013-2014 in the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik in Trossingen (Prof. Rolf Lislevand). In 2016–2022 she continued her studies at PhD level in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (Prof. Toomas Siitan and Prof. Imbi Tarum).
Anna-Liisa works in close cooperation with several early music ensembles, such as Supersonus (2019 Supersonus debut CD “Resonances” was released under ECM Records), Hanané, The Bright Future Ensemble, Vox Clamantis, Floridante etc.
In 2021 Anna-Liisa’s debut solo CD “Strings Attached: The Voice of Kannel” was released under Harmonia Mundi. It has received a lot of positive feedback from international music press and was awarded the prize of “Estonian classical music album of the year 2021” and annual prize by Estonian Culture Endowment in 2021.
TAAVI KERIKMÄE
TAAVI KERIKMÄE was born on 1976 in Tartu (Estonia). After graduating Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre he studied in Conservatoire National Supérieure de Lyon. Currently working as performing artist and composer. Besides artistic work Taavi Kerikmäe teaching in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
He has worked together with such composers as Pierre Boulez, Kaija Saariaho, Tristan Murail, Vinko Globokar, Ivan Fedele, F.-B. Mâche, Alessandro Solbiatti, Helena Tulve and many others. Taavi has given concerts in most of European countries, USA, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Greenland, and Thailand.
On 2016 Taavi Kerikmäe awarded the title Chevalier des Arts et des Letters by French Republic. Over years he has received 3 annual prizes from Estonian Cultural Endowment as well as from Estonian Association of the Phonogram Producers. On 2022 Kerikmäe received the Annual State Cultural Prize of Estonia.
Kerikmäe performs on the historical copy of cembal d’amore by Silbermann (1721) built by Kaspars Putrins,