Estonian National Ballet to Make Its North American Debut in a Piece Commissioned for the Gala
San Francisco's iconic Palace of Fine Arts will be the setting for a unique and powerful evening of Estonian music and ballet the evening of Friday, June 28, 2013 at the Opening Gala of LEP- ESTO 2013. The three-hour ceremony, starting at 7:00 pm, launches an event-packed four day festival with performances by the Estonian National Ballet, in its first-ever North American appearance, the World-renowned pianist, Hando Nahkur, and the sublime voice of Estonia's Hanna-Liina Võsa, a rising star on the American stage and screen.
Rounding out the eclectic musical palette of the opening ceremony, the Estonian Youth Wind Orchestra, an ensemble of 55 wind, brass and percussion musicians, young virtuosos aged 15 to 25 from throughout Estonia, will perform during the colorful Flag Ceremony.
Celebrated concurrently for the first time, the World Estonian Festival, ESTO joins with Lääneraniku Eesti Päevad (LEP), the West Coast Estonian Festival, for LEP-ESTO 2013. In addition to performances of World Class Estonian artists at the Opening Gala, LEP-ESTO offers a varied slate of events, including an important technology business conference "iEstonia" in the Silicon Valley, a film festival premiering the latest work by Jim and Maureen Tusty (Directors of "The Singing Revolution"), the traditional Laulupidu song festival and a range of cultural-related seminars (see www.lep-esto2013.com for a complete program of events).
