Heino Eller Music College students and teachers took part in the International Violinists and Cellists Competition in Lithuania in June 2024 as part of the Erasmus+ mobility project "Hand in Hand with the Masters".
The VII Saulius Sondeckis International Violinists and Cellists Competition took place in Šiauliai, Lithuania, from 10-13 June 2024, with the participation of five students from Heino Eller Music College: Anni Toots, Maali Toots, Siim Rehema, Indrek Roosaar and Laura Liisa Laanemäe, supported by teachers Reet Mets, Eveli Roosaar, Ebe Müntel, Jorma Toots and Kristel Eeroja-Põldoja.
The students prepared for the competition already in autumn, taking part in several lessons, performances and the national competition. The four-day competition in Lithuania brought together talented violinists and cellists from Latvia, Lithuania, Japan, Spain, Poland, Luxembourg and Germany. For the students, it was a great opportunity to test their skills at an international level.
According to Kristel Eeroja-Põldoja, the aim of participating in the competition was to showcase the level of our students in the international arena and to connect with colleagues from around the world. In addition, she met a number of familiar teachers whose students have participated in previous competitions:
"Among the participants were students of familiar teachers from previous competitions - Ruta Lipinaitytė from Lithuania, Olga Isakova from Latvia, Nijole Prascevičienė from Lithuania. Ruta has been coming to our school for several years to give master classes and will definitely come again in spring 2025."
The competition provided teachers and students with invaluable experience in both technical know-how and repertoire choices. Teacher Reet Mets pointed out that participating in the competition helped to improve professional knowledge of instrumental technique and gave new ideas for future work. Kristel Eeroja-Põldoja stressed that preparing for the competition gives students a solid target for practising and teachers the opportunity to work even harder.
In addition, Kristel Eeroja-Põldoja took part in discussions with colleagues and received valuable advice:
"I got new ideas for the selection of programmes, I got advice from the above-mentioned colleagues for future work.".
"Even though the results were subjective due to the jury, the experience provided a lot of value. Our students are already looking forward to the next opportunity to come back even better in two years' time."
College gained international experience that will enrich their musical journey and help them better prepare for the challenges ahead. Participation in the competition was supported by the European Union through the Erasmus+ mobility programme.
