On Wednesday, March 25 at 3 PM everyone is welcome to Tartu Observatory in Tõravere to enjoy a concert of music for the soul. Bass singer Pavlo Balakin and pianist Tiina Kärblane will perform music by Verdi, Händel, Schubert, and others.
Pavlo Balakin's first music degree is from the jazz saxophone class of the Donetsk Music Academy in Ukraine (2006). Thereafter the Ukrainian born bass studied singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with Prof Mati Palm. In addition, he has worked regularly with a number of great coaches, among them Richard Barker, Roberta Ferrari, Kristina Vavolo, Kristin Okerlund and Jeffrey Goldberg. Between 2002–2008 Pavlo sang in the chorus of the Ukrainian National Opera and between 2008–2013 in the chorus of the Estonian National Opera. During that time he also sang many bass solo roles until being officially hired as a soloist by the Estonian National Opera in 2013.
In 2013, Pavlo Balakin won the Annual Estonian Theatre Award "Crystal Shoe" for his interpretation of Méphistophélès in Gounod's "Faust".
Tiina Kärblane has studied at Tallinn Music High School and graduated from the Tallinn State Conservatory's piano class of Professor Bruno Lukk in 1985. She continued her studies in Leningrad Conservatory in the chamber music department under the guidance of Professor Tamara Fidler. Tiina has had several successful performances at national string competitions in Estonia and Finland as well as at international competitions. In 2013, she started to teach at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre's opera studio and during recent years she has also been working as a concertmaster at both the academy and the Estonian National Opera Chorus.
The concert is organized in co-operation by Tartu Observatory and the PLMF Music Trust.