Helen Sildna, the founder of Musiccase and the Tallinn Music Week, has been awarded the Exceptional Achievements in Music Business award at the Tampere Music Awards 2014.
Sildna has been involved in the music industry for over 14 years as a promoter, artist booker and a spokesperson for the new generation of local music entrepreneurs. She is the founder and director of Tallinn Music Week, an annual talent showcase festival and music industry conference in Tallinn, Estonia. She also runs and owns a music promotion company Musiccase and is an active member of various cultural development associations.
Sildna caught her festival bug when attending the legendary Rock Summer at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds in 1988. Later in the noughties, being a big music lover, she travelled extensively around Europe and gathered inspiration.
The Wire Magazine has previously suggested that the “Tallinn Music Week has proven that a country as small as Estonia punches well above its weight in terms of musical talent. The degree of technical ability and polish shown, across many different genres, both live and on record, was very impressive. What’s more, Tallinn’s musical community is warm, well informed and enthusiastic.”
Sildna has also had a role in developing Estonian music entrepreneurship and its export strategy. She has also been a board member of the Estonian Culture Council and is currently also a member of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves’s advisory board.
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Cover photo: Helen Sildna (photo by Anu Hammer).