Capital of Estonian Jazz

by Ms Maria Gritsoshenko and Ms Nadezhda Bezborodova

Cultural facilities in Sillamäe are important for quality of life, for improving town's "brand name" and for creating jobs. Attracting tourists to festivals, exhibitions and sights results in increasing incomes. Live performances can become a key element in economy and tourist attraction of the town.

Sillamäe keeps and develops the original and multilateral culture as one of its main riches. Days of Slavic culture, exhibitions of foreign artists, multicultural projects, Jazz-time festival and other events take place here.

Jazz Time Festival, the most important event for inhabitants and for the most famous jazzmen in Estonia has been held for the last 5 years. The festival is organized by the Sillamäe Music School and supported by the town government and local enterprises. Every year the amount of participants grows. This year two hundred musicians not only from Estonia but also from other European countries took part in this outstanding event. The uniqueness of this project is that Estonian young musicians and professinal jazz stars take part in the event together and share their experience and talents with the audience. Jazz Time is the unique musical collection of different styles.

Every year the level of professionalism grows and there are plans to make the festival more popular abroad and to involve more participants from different countries.

This event not only increases the international contacts and the number of visitors and has local and international effect, but also improves culture quality in Sillamäe. This project has the multicultural meaning.

Culture cannot influence development without proper organisation and support. The municipality supports cultural organizations: finances events, supports projects and makes other investments.

So now Jazz Time and its cultural variety have become a "trade mark" for the town and make it well-known both in Estonia and abroad. The small Estonian seaside town with its exclusive architecture aspires to be the capital of Estonian Jazz.