EstoCast

Montréal-based artist and Antarctic enthusiast Valmar Kurol believes that artists and tourists play a major role in the protection of Antarctica, as discussed in the latest EstoCast episode.

Which is partly why the continent has been the focus of his music (in addition to research and painting). It’s a region with an Estonian connection, a great deal of wildlife, as well as an urgent need for environmental stewardship from the whole...

For members of our Toronto Estonian community, Anna Herran might already be a familiar face. She has helped out in the VEMU archives as well as volunteered at Estonian Music Week, various VEMU events, and Post-EstDocs just to name a few. But she is also a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Toronto, interested in the connections among history, memory, and statehood in 20th-century East Central Europe and the Baltic region...

In the newest episode of EstoCast, we’re steering away from the usual format to share a literary discussion. The text in question is Sofi Oksanen’s book Same River, Twice: Putin’s War on Women – A Feminist Investigation of Sexual Violence, Genocide, and Threats to Democracy

Helping us understand this topic better are two guests: Professor Kate Holland and Dr. Kadri Tüür, both of whom teach at the University of Toronto.

During the cou...

Marju Kõivupuu on Võrumaalt pärit eesti folklorist, kultuuriloolane, kirjanik ja õppejõud, kes lisaks akadeemilisele uurimistööle on aktiivselt panustanud meie pärandkultuuri populariseerimisse ja löönud kaasa kultuuriteemalistes diskussioonides. Vestleme sellesest, mis Marjut kirjanduse ja üldse kultuuri juures kõige rohkem intrigeerib, kuidas temast juba varakult raamatukoi sai ja veel paljust põnevast. 

Saatest kuulete: 

📜 19. sa...

Dance is something that should be a part of everyone’s lives, as discussed with the latest EstoCast guest, Montréal-based dancer Peter Trosztmer.

Dance is his profession and craft, but it has also been a means to connect with others, to heal trauma, and to be connected with the physical world. And it can do that for anyone.

In this episode of EstoCast, hear about:

🚶🏻‍♂️the stories of his relatives from Saaremaa that have shaped his ...

Haldi Välimäe on eesti muusik ja laulukirjutaja, kes on juba noorest peale olnud muusikaga seotud ning sellest ümbritsetud. Ta mitte ei saanud muusikuks, vaid sündis selleks. Haldi tunneb huvi ka väliseesti muusika ning kultuuripärandi vastu ja on seda uurinud. Muusika on tema jaoks palju enamat kui lihtsalt helid, kuuleme Haldi reisist ja esinemistest lähitulevikus Kanadas, Eesti Abistamiskomitee 75. aastapäeva pidustusel. Aga saa...

In her research, Dr. Kaia Tombak has challenged long-held assumptions in evolutionary biology, such as the idea that male mammals are always larger than females. 

As she describes it, there is a significant proportion of animal species in which males and females are typically the same size, or where females are larger. And this is just one of the discoveries she has made as a biologist, through work in the field and at universities,...

Lea Kreinini nimi on paljudele Toronto eestlasele tuttav, kuna ta on mõnda aega siin meie seas elanud ja saadab nüüd Eestist kaastöid ajalehele Eesti Elu. Lea on pidanud huvitavaid ameteid - ta on õpetanud eesti keelt võõrkeelena, tegutsenud giidi, tõlkija ja kirjanikuna. Ta on elanud ka Ungaris ja Šotimaal, lüües kõikjal kaasa eesti kultuurielus ja hariduslikes ettevõtmistes. Meie värskes saates kuuletegi Lea seikluslikust elukäig...

Though places and opportunities to play their music are somewhat limited in Uppsala, Sweden, heavy folk band Fränder—including their Estonian flautist, bagpipe player, and singer Säde Tatar—have taken it upon themselves to make their own events happen, and that includes the Nordic Now! festival in New York City. Soon, owing to the impact they’ve made, they’ll be working together with the renowned Lincoln Center for the Performing A...

Igal inimesel on oma lugu. Toronto eestlase Anneli Andre Barretti elutee on olnud eriti põnev. Pärast töötamist inglise keele õpetajana Kanadas on ta reisinud erinevatesse riikidesse Project TEMBO vahendusel, et õpetada seda keelt Aafrikas jm eksootilistes paikades. Inglise keelt on ta õpetanud ka PEN Canada vabatahtlikuna - pagulaskirjanikele. Kust sai aga alguse Anneli armastus kirjanduse vastu, mil viisil tulid tema ellu õppesei...

Speaking with educator and singer-songwriter Tiiu Strutt, we find that every animal track, every song, every puppet show, and every conversation is a learning opportunity.

And moreover, an avenue to instilling a sense of wonder in learners of all ages.

In the newest episode of EstoCast, hear about:

🐾why the land is so important in her educational work

🐾striving for equality and respect in nature

🐾how she returned from a musical hiatu...

Eesti keel on eestlaste meelest teadagi kõige ilusam keel maailmas, aga seda peetakse ka üheks raskemini õpitavaks keeleks. See ei takistanud Ameerikast Minnesotast pärit tõlkijal, kirjanikul ja muusikul Adam Cullenil, kelle soontes ei voola tilkagi eesti verd, seda keelt laitmatult ära õppimast ja eesti kultuuriruumi sulandumast. Kuulake ja saate teada, millega meie maa ja keel Adami ära võlusid, kes on tema lemmikkirjanikud Eesti...

Eestlus (Estonianness) is a state of being, identity, and feeling that has a multiplicity of variations. This time on EstoCast, we’re fortunate to hear about it from an Estonian-Australian point-of-view.

Coming from Sydney, Australia, Lachlan Bell is an artist and designer, a researcher in the field of folkloristics and heritage, and a community leader. This past summer, he was in Ontario, Canada getting to know the present-day and ...

Torontost pärit eestlane Riina Kindlam on nüüdseks juba üle paarikümne aasta elanud Eestis. Tema nime näeb tihti Eesti Elu veergudel ning ka teistes väljaannetes. Aga kuidas ta jõudis kirjutamise ja luuletamiseni? Kuidas on kulgenud Eesti kultuuri ja keelde sukeldumine seal elades? Mis tõmbab teda kirjanduse, eriti selle lühivormide poole? Kuulake ja saate teada!

Tänases saates kuulete: 

📕 Millised on Kanada ja Eesti kultuuri- ja ki...

Erik Kreem and his music have been featured previously in the “Memories of Home” online concert series presented by VEMU and its project Estonian Music Week. And also in the pages of Eesti Elu / Estonian Life newspaper. But never on an episode of EstoCast.

There’s a good deal to catch up on, and Erik has a bundle of stories and thought-provoking musical commentary to kick off this new season of our podcast.

In this episode of EstoCas...

Tere tulemast EstoCasti värske, 4. hooaja esimesse saatesse! Kuna käimas on raamatuaasta, räägime antropoloogi ja raamatusõbra Anna-Kristiina Paega raamatute lugemisest, aga ka kirjutamisest. Anna-Kristiina oli augustikuus külas VEMU arhiivis Torontos, kus ta tegi magistriõppe praktikat, kogudes materjali oma uurimistöö jaoks. Saates kuulete, millistesse riikidesse on Anna-Kristiina elutee teda viinud, mis teda võlub raamatute juur...

When the grandmother of Camille Intson (AKA Camie, @thecamiliad ) passed away, she left countless photographs and pieces of history that led Camille to investigate her family history and Estonian heritage in a deep way, ultimately leading to a road trip across Estonia with her mother and eventually, an exhibit at VEMU Estonian Museum Canada.

As we found out in conversation with her recently, this journey and her research practice is...

Küllap oleme kõik filmihuvilised - käime kinos uusi linateoseid vaatamas või naudime neid kodus striimides. Kuid millised on filmitööstuse telgitagused? Kuidas jõudis üks Kanada eestlane filmiinimeste mekasse, Hollywoodi, ja kuidas ta ennast seal tunneb? Vastuseid neile küsimustele ja palju muud huvitavat leiate meie tuliuues vestluses filmioperaator Alar Kiviloga.

Värskes saates kuulete:

🎬 Alar Kivilo perekonna teekonnast Kanadasse...

To be a filmmaker, you need to control the wildest variables imaginable, such as extreme weather and explosions, while also making a moving work of art with great sensitivity and attention to detail.

In the newest episode of EstoCast, filmmaking duo Tiiu Loigu and William Shockley are showing us how they achieved that in their latest film, Long Shadows, due for theatrical release on September 26th, 2025.

Come along to San Diego, Cali...