Tallinn awarded the title of UNESCO City of Music

Text Timo Huttunen
Photo Andrei Chertkov

Tallinn has been named a UNESCO City of Music 2022. Tallinn has also became part of the UNESCO network of creative cities. The aim of the network is to strengthen and develop the role of culture and creativity in the sustainable development of cities.

The category of UNESCO music cities includes 47 cities.

UNESCO is the UN’s specialized agency for education, science, culture and communication, with 193 member countries.

The choice of Tallinn was based on the city’s music strategy for 2022–2025. The central vision of the strategy is to provide additional opportunities for both creating and enjoying music.

One important aspect of the strategy is to support the development and growth of the entire music industry. On this basis, the city is now starting to draw up a detailed action plan involving all actors in the music industry.

The Mayor of Tallinn, Mihhail Kõlvart, stated that Tallinn has always had a rich musical life. “A strong musical tradition is closely rooted to our cultural heritage. That is why getting the title of UNESCO Music City is very good news”.

According to Tõnu Kaljuste, the artistic director of the Tallinn Philharmonic Orchestra, the news will delight musicians and raise the city’s esteem. “Colleagues from other parts of the world have wondered how we have succeeded in creating such a lively and high-quality music life in Tallinn”.

“International recognition is a small thank you to every musician. It gives strength and faith for the future. I hope it affects the whole city in the same way”, Kaljuste continued.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network project started in 2004. The network has seven categories: Design Cities, Film Cities, Gastronomic Cities, Literary Cities, Craft and Folk Cities, Music Cities and Media Culture Cities.

One city can only belong to one category. Estonia also has the literary city of Tartu and the city of handicrafts and folk culture Viljandi.

To learn more about this and similar topics
City of Music Creative Cities Culture Mihhail Kõlvart Music Life Sustainable Development Tõnu Kaljuste Unesco