The Karijärve String Orchestra is a youth orchestra from Estonia, originating from violin camps in the Tartu region since 2007. It consists of 35 musicians aged 6–22 and is conducted by Eveli Roosaar, a violin teacher at the Tartu Heino Eller Music School. Her students have achieved outstanding results in both national and international competitions. Several have gone on to study at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and other institutions across Europe, yet many continue as members of the orchestra.

A unique aspect of the Karijärve String Orchestra is its strong sense of community  ─ most members come from the same families, with many siblings playing together. Since 2011, the orchestra has toured extensively, performing not only in Estonia but also in Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Russia, and Norway. These activities have been made possible through the generous support of parents and sponsors, as well as extensive voluntary work. To ensure the orchestra's sustainability, a non-profit organization was established in 2015.

The orchestra's primary mission is to foster musical self-improvement among young musicians, support instrumental education in music schools, and develop performance and collaboration skills. In addition to its concert tours, the orchestra has collaborated with various music ensembles, including the Chamber Choir of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Valga County Project Choir, the Danish Youth Symphony Orchestra Presto, the Liberec Youth Orchestra ZUŠ from the Czech Republic, and the Norwegian Youth Orchestra Romus. In recent years, the orchestra has worked closely with Norwegian violin teacher Milutin Petrovic, who has conducted masterclasses at Karijärve summer schools, significantly enhancing the students' instrumental skills.

The Karijärve String Orchestra is dedicated to enriching the musical education of children and young people in the community. It has established a tradition of offering free concerts to elementary and secondary school students, as well as kindergarten children in the Tartu region. In collaboration with professional musicians, the orchestra launched the baroque music series "Long Live Vivaldi!" along with other special concert projects, performing 15–20 concerts annually.

One of the most significant performances in recent years was the appearance at the Christmas Eve service in Puhja Church in 2021, which was broadcast live by ERR. 

The orchestra has released two double-CD collections: “Rändamine” (2014) and “Kasvamine” (2018).

Contacts:

Ms. Eveli Roosaar, Conductor

eveliroosaar@gmail.com

Ms. Katrin Tamm, Manager

katrin.tamm@ut.ee

More information: https://www.facebook.com/karijarve/