“Soojad jõulud” album launch concert: Ivi Rausi, Raun Juurikas and Timo Steiner

A new album featuring songs composed by Timo Steiner

Ivi Rausi – vocals
Raun Juurikas – piano
Timo Steiner – narrator

“Soojad jõulud” (“Warm Christmas”) peeks into the human soul in the magical and sacred silence of the solstice and Christmas. It is a strange time—warm and cold at once, hurried and contemplative, hidden and open. When you think about it, what is human life but relationships, relationships and relationships? Our relationship with ourselves, with them, with others, with nature and with the great spirit. When I speak to you, am I speaking to myself—or to them, or to Him? When I see you, whom do I really see? Myself? When I wait for you, might I actually be waiting for them?

At the heart of the concert are songs composed by Timo Steiner. Their sound moves along the boundaries of classical music, pop and jazz: warm, airy and reflective. Ivi Rausi’s sensitive, improvisational vocals meet Raun Juurikas’s nuanced piano playing. The felted piano sounds like velvety snow—a soft fabric around the bends of the melody, leaving room for words, silence and music born in the moment.

Ivi Rausi is a jazz singer, improviser and educator whose musical style brings together improvisation, sensitivity to words and a strong emotional presence. She has released nine albums, four featuring her own compositions, and has collaborated with many Estonian musicians. Her albums have repeatedly been selected as Radio Tallinn’s Album of the Month, and in spring 2026 she received the Jazz Promoter of the Year title.

Raun Juurikas is a pianist, composer and arranger whose work combines jazz, improvisation and a contemporary sound. His playing is characterised by improvisational freedom, emotional sensitivity and openness to different genres.

In his work, Timo Steiner playfully juxtaposes and contrasts different styles and compositional techniques, and his compositions always contain a unifying message. He studied composition at Tallinn Music High School with René Eespere, Toomas Trass and Mati Kuulberg, and at the Estonian Academy of Music under Jaan Rääts, continuing there for his master’s degree as a student of Raimo Kangro. He also took part in masterclasses with Marek Stachowski in Rostock and studied with Roman Ledenjov at the Moscow Conservatory.

Alongside numerous concert works, Timo Steiner is a respected composer of film and television music. Among other works, he composed the music for the internationally acclaimed film and series “Klass” and for ETV’s “Pealtnägija”. He received the annual award of the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Endowment for the Arts for the opera “Kaks pead”, performed at “Nargenfestival” (2011); the Estonian Music Council’s Composition Award (2019); and the Best Film Composer title at the Estonian Film and Television Awards for “Ülo Sooster. Mees, kes kuivatas rätikut tuule käes” (2021). In collaboration with the creative collective Birdname and composer Sander Mölder, he has written several ballets: “Keres”, “Kuldne tempel”, “Kuningas-Päike”, “Kurat ja Jumal” and “Aju”.

“Soojad jõulud” is a concert about looking into silence, closeness and longing—a musical resting place in the darkest, yet brightest, time of winter.