The Ellerhein Girls’ Choir was founded in 1951 by Professor Heino Kaljuste and comprises singers aged 14 to 19. Since 2012, the choir has been led by Chief Conductor Ingrid Kõrvits, who continues the long-standing work of Tiia-Ester Loitme in maintaining the ensemble’s high artistic standards. Operating under the Tallinn Hobby Centre Kullo, the choir is renowned for its demanding and versatile repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary choral works from Estonia and around the world. The choir’s vocal coach is Egle Veltmann, the chorus master and solfeggio teacher is Ülle Sander, and the accompanist is Kadri Traksmann.
Ellerhein has established a prominent international standing through collaborations with world-renowned conductors—including Peeter Lilje, Eri Klas, Paavo Järvi, Tõnu Kaljuste, Andres Mustonen, Olari Elts, Mikko Frank, and Nikolai Aleksejev—and distinguished ensembles such as the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Estonian National Male Choir, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Hortus Musicus, and Vox Clamantis. The choir’s professional excellence was solidified in 2004 when they received a prestigious Grammy Award for their recording of Sibelius’ Cantatas. Recent achievements include significant competition victories, such as the Grand Prix in Gdansk in 2019 and the overall win at the international Lisbon Sings 2023 competition in Portugal.
In addition to extensive global touring, the choir is an active recording artist and a champion of Estonian choral music. Their recent discography includes Songs of Light (2017), the 2023 Choral Album of the Year Heavenly Songs, and the premiere recording of Mart Saar’s children’s opera The Lost Princess (2024). These contributions have earned the ensemble repeated titles of Choir of the Year and Female Choir of the Year.