Ellerhein Girls’ Choir was founded in 1951 by Professor Heino Kaljuste. Since 1970, the choir was conducted by Tiia-Ester Loitme, who also served as the chief conductor of the choir studio from 1989 to 2012. From 2012 the choir is led by conductor Ingrid Kõrvits. The choir’s vocal coach is Egle Veltmann, the choir master and solfeggio teacher is Ülle Sander, the accompanist is Kadri Traksmann, and manager is Liina Joonas-Teder.
Ellerhein Girls’ Choir consists of girls aged 14-19 and the repertoire of the choir includes both classical and contemporary choral music by outstanding composers from Estonia and around the world. The choir has collaborated with several renowned conductors (Peeter Lilje, Eri Klas, Paavo Järvi, Tõnu Kaljuste, Andres Mustonen, Olari Elts, Mikko Frank, Nikolai Alekseyev, Timothy Fitzpatrick, Mikk Üleoja, among others), as well as professional ensembles (Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Male Choir, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Hortus Musicus, Vox Clamantis, among others) and directors (Ene-Liis Semper, Tiit Ojasoo, Anne Türnpu, Eva Koldits, Reeda Toots, among others).
Over the years, festivals and competitions have taken the choir to Japan, Austria, Andorra, Cyprus, Hungary, Canada, Italy, Israel, the United States, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland, China, Spain, Portugal, France, and more. The choir has won numerous prizes, including four Grand Prix awards. Their most recent competition victories include the Grand Prix at the Gdańsk International Choir Competition in Poland in 2019 and the overall victory at the Lisbon Sings International Choir Competition in Portugal in 2023.
In 2004, the choir won a Grammy Award for a recording of Sibelius cantatas (Ellerhein Girls’ Choir – conductor Tiia-Ester Loitme; Estonian National Male Choir – conductor Ants Soots; Estonian National Symphony Orchestra – conductor Paavo Järvi; Virgin Classics). In 2007, the Estonian Choral Association named the Ellerhein Girls’ Choir Choir of the Year, and in 2021, the Estonian Female Song Society awarded them the title of Women’s Choir of the Year.
Over the years, the choir has recorded several albums. The most recent include the CD “Songs of Light” (2017), featuring works by Estonian composers premiered by the Ellerhein Girls’ Choir; “Heavenly Songs” (2023), recorded together with Vox Clamantis, which was awarded Choral Album of the Year 2023 by the Estonian Choral Association; and the sheet music and CD release (2024) of the children’s opera “The Lost Princess” by Mart Saar and Julius Oro.
The Ellerhein Girls’ Choir is a collective of the Tallinn Hobby Centre Kullo.