Ten teenage violinists from Tallinn, Estonia, are set to fill two Anne Arundel County sanctuaries with folk tunes, film scores and classical pieces this month, and neither show will cost a ticket. Magic Strings, a youth ensemble whose members range from 12 to 16 years old, performs at First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis on August 21 at 7 p.m., then at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Arnold on August 25, also at 7 p.m.
The Annapolis-area stops are part of a broader late-August tour through Maryland and Washington, D.C., as reported by Eye On Annapolis. The performances are presented by World Artists Experiences, an Arnold-based nonprofit cooperating with the Embassy of Estonia to bring the group to Anne Arundel County without an admission charge, though donations will be accepted at the door.
Beyond Annapolis and Arnold, the tour also includes stops at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cumberland on August 20, the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore on August 21, and Salisbury University on August 22, according to Estonian Culture in the U.S. That itinerary turns what might look like a one-off local booking into a regional showcase touching five Maryland communities within a matter of days.
A Suzuki-Trained Ensemble With a Global Résumé
Magic Strings, also known by the Estonian name Võlukeeled, was founded in 2012 at the Music School of the Old Town School of Tallinn by violin teacher Tereza Šmerling-Heinsaar, who also directs the group. The student musicians train using the Suzuki method, a pedagogical approach built on ear training, listening and early musical immersion, per WorldArtists.org. Šmerling-Heinsaar was named the best violin teacher of the year in 2018 by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, a distinction that established her national standing as the instructor behind the ensemble, according to Ritmiks.
The ensemble's repertoire spans folk music, film scores, contemporary selections and classical works, and the group has also expanded into studio recordings and music video productions, per Eye On Annapolis. Before this year's Maryland dates, the young musicians had already performed at major venues abroad, including London's Royal Albert Hall during a Suzuki gala, New York's Lincoln Center, and the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, the same Ritmiks profile notes. The group has toured across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
A Packed Schedule and a History of Public Service
The touring pace behind those credentials is notable: Magic Strings delivered 70 live concerts in 2018 alone across Estonia and international festival stops, according to the Ritmiks profile. That same year, the ensemble also toured the United States, giving concerts across Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York and California as part of official Estonia 100 centennial celebrations marking a century of Estonian statehood, per the VEMU Estonian Museum Canada.
In 2022, the group took part in a live televised national charity concert broadcast on Estonian National Television that raised €150,000 for Ukrainian child refugees living in Estonia, performing alongside other national cultural organizations. Formal diplomatic ties between the United States and Estonia date back to July 1922, when the U.S. officially recognized Estonian independence, with cultural programming now co-coordinated by the Embassy of Estonia in Washington, D.C. The U.S. and Estonia marked 100 years of diplomatic relations in 2022.
Local Roots Behind the Free Concerts
World Artists Experiences, the nonprofit presenting the Anne Arundel County shows, was founded in Arnold in 2002 by resident Betty McGinnis to promote global cultural exchange and citizen diplomacy. The organization has since partnered with more than 125 countries to organize free local cultural programs, according to the Severna Park Voice.
The Annapolis venue carries its own local history. First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis was founded in 1846 and now holds services in a landmark sanctuary on Duke of Gloucester Street originally constructed in 1828 as the historic Hallam Theater, according to the church. For Anne Arundel County residents, the August dates offer a chance to hear an internationally traveled youth ensemble perform without buying a ticket, a rare local opportunity tied to a much larger diplomatic and cultural tour moving through Maryland this month.
