Koori president ja üks asutajatest Mare Rahkema elab Saksamaal alates 2000. aastast. Varem Eestis õpetajana töötanud ning Saksamaal maali ja graafikat õppinud Mare juhib ka Kölni eestlaste organisatsiooni (KERK).
Ligi 30-aastase dirigendistaažiga Kalev Lindal on juhatanud Euroopa Eestlaste Koori algusest peale. Kalev on asutanud ja juhatanud kümneid koore, nende hulgas Haaslava meeskoor, Kanepi, Pagana ja Ülenurme segakoorid, Eesti Ühendatud Motomeeste mees- ja segakoorid ning Lõuna-Eesti Politseiprefektuuri segakoor.
2012. aasta jaanuaris lisandus Euroopa Eestlaste Koori dirigentide perre Saksamaal Aachenis elav laulja, pianist, hääleseadja ja dirigent Elo Tammsalu-Schmitz.
Kalev ja Elo on olnud suurepärane tandem, kes laululaagrite ülipikkadel proovipäevadel on hoidnud lauljate tuju heas vormis oma terava huumorimeelega, olles seejuures nõudlikud õpetajad.
Varem on meie kauaaegseks dirigendiks olnud Lauri Breede, kes õpetab Heino Elleri nimelises Tartu Muusikakoolis dirigeerimist ja hääleseadet, on asutanud ja dirigeerinud arvukaid koore, sh Tarbatu ja Gaudeamuse meeskoori, segakoori “Hale-Bopp Singers“.
Silver Lumi koostöö Euroopa Eestlaste Kooriga algas 2011. aasta kevadel, kui kuuldused Soome eestlaste segakoori “Siller” uuest andekast dirigendist jõudsid Euroopa südamesse. Silveril on lauljakogemus ooperi-, muusikali- ja kammerkontserdilavadelt ning ta on töötanud ka hääleseadjana. Alates 2010. aastast juhendab koos abikaasa Annika Lumiga Helsingi eesti laste laulustuudiot.
Lisaks on laululaagreid juhatanud Belgia eestlaste segakoori BEENE endine dirigent Kaido Janke, Londoni Eesti Seltsi segakoori ja Rahvusvahelise Eestlaste Eksperimentaalkoori dirigent Reet Kromel-Williams, Saidi Tammeorg Eestist ja abidirigendina Anneli Aken – eesti laste lauluõpetaja Luksemburgis, Brüsselis ja Strasbourgis ning Luksemburgi naisansambli “Meloodilised tordid” juhendaja.
Koori kontsertmeister on Aita Sibul, kes töötab Saksamaal klaveriõpetajana.
Conductors
Mare Rahkema, the president of the choir and one of its founding members, has lived in Germany since the year 2000. Mare, who worked as a school teacher in Estonia and has studied art and graphic design in Germany, is also the chairperson of the Estonian Association in Cologne (KERK).
Kalev Lindal has almost 30 years of experience as a conductor and has led the European Choir of Estonians from its beginning. Kalev has established numerous vocal groups and choirs in Estonia including the Haaslava men’s choir, the Kanepi, Pagana and Ülenurme mixed choirs, the United Estonian Motomen men’s and mixed choirs, as well as the South Estonia Police Choir.
In January of 2012, Elo Tammsalu-Schmitz, who is a singer, pianist, voice coach and conductor living in Aachen, Germany also became a conductor of the European Choir of Estonians.
Kalev and Elo have been a great double act, always keeping up the spirits of the singers during long rehearsals with their keen sense of humour, whilst at the same time demanding nothing but the best from the singers.
Our former longstanding conductor, Lauri Breede, teaches voice and conducting at the Heino Eller Music School in Tartu. He has also established and conducted many choirs in Estonia including the Tarbatu and Gaudeamus men’s choirs and the ‘Hale-Bopp Singers’ mixed choir.
Silver Lumi’s collaboration with the European Choir of Estonians began in the spring of 2011 when rumours about the gifted new young conductor of the Estonian choir in Finland ‘Siller’ reached the heart of Europe. Silver has experience of opera, musicals and chamber concerts and he has also worked as a voice coach. Since 2010 he has been running the Helsinki Estonian Children’s Singing Studio together with his wife, Annika Lumi.
Other conductors who have led the choir during the various workshops include Kaido Janke, former conductor of the Belgian Estonian Mixed Choir ‘BEENE’, Reet Kromel, conductor of the REE (International Estonian Experimental) Choir and Saidi Tammeorg from Estonia, also Anneli Aken as an assistant conductor, Estonian children’s singing teacher in Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Brussels and the leader of the Estonian ladies’ ensemble ‘Meloodilised tordid’ in Luxembourg.
The concertmaster of the choir is Aita Sibul who works in Germany as a piano teacher.