Siiri Siimer is the creator of the festival KRATT and its project manager. She generates the bold ideas and is a very decisive, persistent and principled person. And this is also how she organises this festival.
Siiri graduated from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre as a pianist and her entire life has been about music: she has been the director of Old Town Educational College music school, long-time manager of contemporary music ensemble NYYD, musical advisor on Estonian Ministry of Culture and is currently the agent of early music ensemble Vox Clamantis.
Siiri’s interests a varied: she has studied international relations in Tallinn University of Technology, has written theatre music and children’s songs.
Young people, music and young people’s music education have always been important for Siiri and, after many experiences with various music and musicians, she feels that now it is time to focus her efforts on helping young musicians on their journey.

siiri@sircorp.ee

Aet Bergmann grew up in Germany, graduated Helsinki German School and studied violin in Helsinki Concervatoire. She then got a law degree from University of Tartu. Aet has been working as a lawyer from 1998. Presently she is the managing partner in Estonian law firm of bnt attorneys in CEE.

Aet is also a mother of a young violinist. Music and children’s musical education are important for her and therefore she is glad to help with texts, the communication and the legal aspects of the festival KRATT.

aet.bergmann@gmail.com

Janika Lentsius has graduated from the H. Eller Tartu Music School and the Estonian Academy of Music and participated in various chamber music master classes. She has been a member of Jeunesses Musicales World Youth Orchestra and has been with ERSO since 1997.

In addition to working at ERSO, she has performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles with many Estonian musicians. She has been the first performer of several works by Estonian composers. Janika is a founding member of the Estonian Flute Association and has organized summer academies for flute players for over 20 years.
Janika came to the KRATT Festival thanks to her children – her violinist daughter and the cellist son study at Tallinn Music High School.

janika.lentsius@gmail.com

Leelo has worked in the arts industry for 18 years managing artists careers, running different festivals and international projects. Leelo is known for building strong partnerships, her enthusiasm towards the arts and her passion for chamber music, opera and rock alike.

leelo@krattfestival.ee

Pianist Jana Peäske is a valued chamber musician, piano accompanist and teacher. Her impressive repertoire consists of both classical and contemporary music.

In 1985, Jana Peäske graduated from Tallinn Music High School as a pianist with Enn Seep and Bruno Lukk (from 1980). She continued studying piano in 1985-1990 at Tallinn Conservatory with Bruno Lukk and since 1989 with Ivo Sillamaa. 1991-1993 she studied organ in the class of Hugo Lepnurm. She earned Master’s in Music degree in 2000 at the Estonian Academy of Music (with Marje Lohuaru).

In 1995-1999, Jana Peäske studied chamber music at the University of Music Karlsruhe (Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe) with Michael Uhde, where she received Master’s degree in 1997 and finished her PhD studies in 1999.

In 1992, Jana Peäske and Mihkel Peäske won the Favourite of the Audience Award at the piano festival Con Brio. In 1996, Jana Peäske and Kersten McCall took part in F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in Berlin where Peäske won the best accompanist prize.

Since 1988, she has been working at Tallinn Music High School and since 1990, at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre as a teacher and a piano accompanist.

Jana’s son is co-principal bassoon player in the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and daughter is studying violin in Tallinn Music High School.

jana@tmkk.edu.ee

Kristel was born in Tallinn, but has been living in Tartu since 1998.
After graduating from the violin class of Tiiu Peäske at the Tallinn Music High School, she immediately started working at the same school and continued her studies at the Tallinn Conservatory with Prof. Jüri Gerretz. For many years, Kristel divided herself between various orchestras (TKO, PLO and Vanemuine Theatre Orchestra) and her work as a teacher (TMKK and Heino Eller Music School), but since 2013 she has been fully dedicated to teaching at the Heino Eller Music School.
In addition to teaching, Kristel also likes organizing events. For example, she has started a competition for string players in Livonian music schools and a summer school for pianists and violinists in Livonia. Thanks to this, she knows young musicians from almost all of South Estonia and works closely with their teachers.
If Kristel were not a violin teacher, she would be a gardener. But this teaching profession is also a bit reminiscent of gardening, although it takes more time to gain fruits.

kristel.eeroja-poldoja@tmk.ee

Susanna Biosca studied violin and viola in her hometown of Barcelona and continued her studies in London (Trinity College of Music) and Karlsruhe (Hochschule für Musik). She has completed her education at the Barcelona Theatre and Ballet School and studied Estonian philology at Tallinn University. From 2011 to 2020, she taught at the Olfen Academy of Music in Germany. Since 2021, she has been a teacher of chamber music, orchestra and violin and viola at the Dortmund School of Music.

Pille Tralla graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Mari Tampere-Bezrodny. This was followed by studies at the Vienna Conservatory in the class of Prof. Aleksander Ahrenkov and at The University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in the class of Prof. Roland Baldin, from which she graduated with Master of Music in Orchestral Music. Pille Tralla also holds a diploma in Music Pedagogy from the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts. She has further studied with Prof. Valery Gradov, Prof. Roman Nodel, and Prof. Markus Wolf training in the Rolland method, the Suzuki method, Colorstrings, and Klassenmusizieren.
In 2016 she started working as a violin teacher in Tallinn Music School, Tallinn Music and Ballet School (MUBA), and in VHK Music School.
Since 2017 she is a member of the orchestra at the Estonian National Opera.
Pille Tralla’s students have won several laureate titles in Estonian and international competitions. Several of them have performed as soloists with the orchestra.
Pille Tralla was awarded the Estonian Music Schools’ Association’s Thank You Prize in 2022 and the MUBA Classical Music Teacher of the Year award in 2023.

Karmen Kääramees started her violin studies at the H. Eller Music School in Tartu and continued at the Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she continued her violin studies in Denmark. In Copenhagen Karmen began her studies in Suzuki Methodology in 1995. Today she works as a violin teacher of Suzuki Method at the VHK Music School. She also organises and trains teachers in Suzuki Method courses. She is a populaar teacher at violin camps in various countries. Her work as a violin teacher is a dedication and a hobby at the same time. She likes that Kratt Festival brings children together for a whole week of good classical music. During that time, they learn together orchestra playing skills and make new friends. At the festival, Karmen is in the preparation team and will again assist the youngest orchestra.

Maret is a culture enthusiast who is also keen on (extreme) sports, for example mountain skiing. She likes to go to the theater and listen to a lot of different music, and to ride Tallinn’s seaside roads on beautiful evenings.

She has studied cultural organization and cooking, and if a while ago she thought that the restaurant world was what fascinated her the most, then today culture has captured her heart. And especially musical culture.

Today Maret contributes to the Festival Jazzkaar, where she is the communications manager, project manager and a producer.

She likes to contribute her free time to various cultural projects with benefit from her excellent marketing skills.

“There are no impossible things, only incompetent people!”

Mari’s passion is connectiong with people. She usually deals with communication and social media in different projects.

Mari studied singing as a Bachelor’s student at Tallinn University and got her Master’s degree in cultural organization at the University of Tartu.

When she is not engaged in cultural organization, she teaches singing at the WAF Singing School.

Mari really likes to go to the theater, and she also enjoys going to concerts and listening to various types of good music.

Mari’s motto is, “It is all a matter of phrasing”.