Tallinn Music Week set to celebrate its 15th edition with 176 artists from 41 countries

The International conference and showcase festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW) will celebrate its 15th edition 10th – 15th May 2023 by bringing 176 acts from 41 countries to the Estonian capital. The music programme will open next month on Thursday, 11th May in the new pavilion of Tallinn Art Hall in the exciting new development at Lasnamäe near the Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport, introducing new audiences and unveiling the annual spring exhibition of the Estonian Artists' Union. It's a week of pure creativity, always programmed to perfection and allowing you

The picturesque Old Town, the hip Telliskivi Creative City and Noblessner districts will also play host to artists from all over Europe, North and South America, Canada, Africa and the Middle East.

We wrote a piece on what parts of the festival we are most looking forward to below:

Ráadio 2 turns 30

Celebrating its 30th birthday at TMW23, “the voice of young Estonia” Ráadio 2 will present their stellar range of acts at Vaba Lava in the Telliskivi Creative City: expect everything from Estonian alt-RnB star manna’s airy vocals and ever-changing beats to the synth-pop of Berliners Sweet Tempest and Lithuanian Ruta MUR.

TMW23 is particularly thrilled to present Estonia's versatile talent and the country's thriving music industry. Among the 84 domestic artists are local favourites, such as Rita Ray and Karl Killing, Duo Ruut, Mart Avi, Shelton San and Kadri Voorand, who are already making waves internationally, as well as new names, like Borm Bubu and Kitty Florentine, poised to make an impact in the near future.

Don't Miss Estonian Funk Embassy's night

“Booties shaken, souls stirred” has been a successful formula for the label Estonian Funk Embassy since 2016 and the lineup at their TMW night will follow this recipe to the teeth. On the soulful side is the local crown jewel Rita Ray and on the booty-shaking block are the Estonian pop-funk-disco combo Silky Steps and their Ukrainian counterpart Komisiia. Porridge Bullet has supplied record stores around the world with weird and wonderful electronic music releases since 2012. At TMW23 the label will present its best-in-show roster, from the weird dance music masterclass of the label heads Ajukaja & Ats to the suave avant-pop of Mart Avi and the live debut by Estonian-Finnish producer duo LLL. Likewise, TIKS rekords will show off their top drawers – from R'n'B and neo-soul artist YASMYN to the multi-talented singer-songwriter/producer Maris Pihlap.

Philly Joe's Jazz Is Her Showcase

Dedicated to women in music, Philly Joe's Jazz Is Her showcase will feature, among others, Estonian composer and double bass player Mingo Rajandi and Norwegian singer/composer Inger Nordvik. International gender equality initiative Keychange talent pool will be represented by London’s Dystopian Pop producer Pyra, black-white binary-defying Italian R'n'B group Queen of Saba and Irish soul-pop artist Tolü Makay. Queer talent from around the world will be showcased at the KWEER AF night at Sveta Bar.

United By Noise night will present the cream of the Estonian noise rock scene

United By Noise night will present the cream of the Estonian noise rock scene from Zahir to Shelton San, who've recently recorded a BBC session. At the brand new venue Paavli 7, the Damn.Loud agency will join hands with the newly launched Estonian Heavy Music Association. In the heart of Estonian techno and electronic dance music, the infamous Club HALL will await tireless festival guests with parties curated by the club's residents and event series Dark Disko and Smoke Break.

We've made our own curated playlist for artists to check out at TMW below:

TMW 2023 Festival Passes (from €70 euros), PRO Passes (from €175 euros) and DigiPRO Passes offering online access to the conference (from €20) are on sale at the TMW webshop.