Opus Mirum 2026: The Mystery Creation and End — Kai Kallastu (soprano), Andrus Kallastu (electronics)

Saturday, 31 October 2026 at 18:00
Pärnu Eliisabet Church

Electronic Vocal Music Festival OPUS MIRUM 2026
Kai Kallastu (soprano), Andrus Kallastu (electronics)

The programme features the mystery CREATION AND END.

The mystery CREATION AND END is an electroacoustic work for soprano and electronics in which ancient runic song is joined with contemporary musical language. The material of the work comes from two Finno-Ugric mythological stories: “creation” tells of the creation of the world through the power of a supernatural bird, while “the great oak, or the weeping oak” represents a cyclical process of destruction and rebirth through the felling of the cosmic tree.

Collective authors of the mystery CREATION AND END: Kai Kallastu, Madis Arukask, Gerard Pape, Olga Krashenko, Hans-Gunter Lock, Indrek Palu, Andrus Kallastu.

Soprano Kai Kallastu earned a master’s degree in classical singing at Helsinki Metropolia University in Finland and has participated in numerous masterclasses. She has performed as a chamber singer, a soloist in large-scale works and a music-theatre artist with various ensembles and in different countries. Her repertoire covers works from the Renaissance to contemporary music, and she has premiered experimental vocal works by several composers. Intensive creative work connects her with her husband, composer and conductor Andrus Kallastu, with whom she has performed dozens of vocal programmes.

Composer and conductor Andrus Kallastu studied at the Tallinn Conservatory, now the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and at the Sibelius Academy, and has worked as a freelance artist since 2000. Several of Kallastu’s works reflect an interest in combining music with different art forms and in performance. His interest as a performer and artistic director of projects is often connected with music theatre. In addition to traditional music-theatre activities, his aim is to develop specific areas of music theatre: mystery-like ecclesiastical composition and the visualised concert.

Concert duration: approximately 1 hour.
Latecomers will not be admitted to the concert. Photography and filming are not permitted.

The concert series is accompanied by an audience education programme for students, under which a group of students and the teacher or other group leader accompanying them may attend the concert free of charge. To join the programme, please contact ooper@parnu.ee.

In cooperation with: Eesti Kultuurkapital, Pärnu linn, EELK Pärnu Eliisabeti kogudus, Tartu linn, EELK Tartu Ülikooli-Jaani Kogudus, Autorfest, Pärnu Ooper.

MUSICA SACRA is a concert series whose aim is to present new works, give performers the opportunity to realise artistically outstanding concert programmes, engage high-level guest musicians in addition to Estonian musicians, and take concert projects from Estonia abroad. The concerts take place on Saturdays at six o’clock in Pärnu Eliisabet Church. The concert series is organised by Pärnu Ooper, and its artistic director is Andrus Kallastu.

A supporter’s pass for the recording costs 15 euros. Please pay it into Pärnu Ooper’s Swedbank account:
Payee: PÄRNU OOPERISELTS
Account: EE382200221016501589
Payment description: SALVESTUSE TOETAJAPÄÄSE

Founded on 5 January 1993, Pärnu Ooper has offered high-quality music-making and intriguing theatrical solutions through varied productions. In addition to the standard repertoire of music history, Pärnu Ooper’s concerts and performances include mystery-like ecclesiastical compositions, contemporary opera, performances, multimedia productions, dramatised concerts and experimental music theatre. At the core of Pärnu Ooper is the international Repoo Ensemble, consisting of composers, performers, writers, visual artists, actors and other creative professionals. Pärnu Ooper organises the festival SUVEAARIA and the concert series MUSICA SACRA, whose concerts take place in the acoustically excellent Pärnu Eliisabet Church. The artistic director of Pärnu Ooper is composer and conductor Andrus Kallastu.