In recent weeks, stories published in Eesti Ekspress and Delfi have leveled serious accusations at the National Opera Estonia. The most attention has gone to claims that the opera house excludes Estonian soloists living abroad and that its artistic quality has declined noticeably in recent years.

Because I am both rector of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and a member of the National Opera Estonia council, I find it necessary to respond. Not to defend or attack anyone, but to ensure facts are not lost in public debate.

Over the past five years, Monika‑Evelin Liiv has performed 13 times on the National Opera stage, Mirjam Mesak 10 times, Karin Targo six times, Ain Anger six times, Kai Rüütel five times and Lauri Vasar four times. In addition, the opera has regularly invited freelance soloists working in Estonia, including Juhan Tralla, Elina Nechayeva, Maria Listra, Oliver Kuusik, Tuuri Dede, Annabel Soode and many others.

Whether this is a lot or a little is a matter of opinion, but in this case it is impossible to claim that the National Opera excludes Estonian soloists living abroad. On the contrary — when the schedule and repertoire allow, they have been gladly included, and audiences have enjoyed their artistry on the Estonia stage.

Do talents live only abroad?

Because the National Opera Estonia is a repertory theater, meaning audiences must be able to attend a musical theater performance almost every night, it has its own salaried opera troupe. It was especially painful to read a good friend's, composer Jüri Reinvere's claim in Postimees that Estonia does not need talents. Does that mean talents live only abroad? Who, then, are the 20 salaried soloists of the National Opera, 18 of whom are Estonian singers who earned their place through competition and whom Vanemuine theater also uses in its productions? I have often witnessed their excellent performances and the grateful ovations of home audiences. Are they not talented?

I also disagree with the assessment that the opera's repertoire and artistic level have declined noticeably in recent years. I have visited the Estonia theater since 1972 and even worked there as a pianist‑coach from 1978 to 1980, so my perspective spans decades. I have also seen countless opera and ballet performances in top theaters worldwide. Over this long period, the Estonia theater has gone through various phases, with better and worse periods, but I have not observed any noticeable decline in quality at this particular moment. I remember musically and artistically much weaker times.

Naturally, repertoire selection is one of the most important artistic decisions in an opera house. It shapes audience interest, soloists' development opportunities, the professional growth of the entire creative team and the ability to stage demanding works. The repertoire must be diverse to reach different audiences while offering development opportunities to the theater's own artists. Its planning requires balancing artistic ambition, the troupe's capabilities, audience expectations and the theater's resources.

Reality does not look like decline

The theater's lineup includes Madame Butterfly, Othello, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Magic Flute, Pelléas and Mélisande, Carmen, Peter Grimes, The Cunning Little Vixen, Charon and others — are these bad operas and operettas?

Everyone has their own idea of an ideal repertoire. I also dream of seeing Rossini's Armida or Bellini's Norma on the Estonia stage, but I accept that this is not possible right now.

At the same time, alongside standard repertoire, the National Opera has staged rarely performed and highly demanding works. Examples include Debussy's Pelléas and Mélisande and Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen, which require an excellent troupe, great courage and artistic ambition from any theater.

Despite claims of drastic decline, the opera gave numerous performances this season, successfully toured at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and has been invited next season to perform at the Latvian National Opera and at Finland's legendary Savonlinna Opera Festival. The opera's international reach and contacts have also grown. Just a few months ago, future and current leaders of Europe's major opera houses and top opera management specialists gathered at the National Opera Estonia for the Opera Europa Management Forum. This hardly looks like decline.

There is always room for improvement — in repertoire and artistic quality. But when criticizing, it is useful to say as concretely as possible what is meant and what solutions are envisioned.

Internal review, not opinions and beliefs

The most serious accusation concerns alleged role assignments in exchange for money. Such claims cannot rely on assumptions or rumors. The National Opera has launched a thorough internal review and engaged an independent auditor to ensure objectivity. In a rule‑of‑law state, such serious accusations must be evaluated based on verified facts, not opinions or beliefs. In the coming days, the National Opera Estonia council will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss all raised issues and assess the need for further steps.

None of this means there are no problems.

As a council member, I have been aware that dissatisfaction and tension have existed in the organization for a long time, but I do not reduce the current situation to individual events or people. The problems facing the National Opera have developed over time, and in my view their main cause has been the theater's chronically lagging funding compared with both the cultural sector average and Estonia's overall development.

Growing shortage of funds 

From 2015 to 2024, national operating support for the cultural sector grew an average of 68 percent, operating support for public cultural institutions rose 42 percent, and the National Opera Estonia's operating support increased 37 percent. By comparison, the state budget grew about 116 percent during the same period and the Estonian economy roughly doubled. 

This means the national opera must meet ever‑greater expectations and legally mandated duties with relatively modest resources. It affects the entire theater — soloists, choir, orchestra, ballet company and support staff — and inevitably limits repertoire planning and the number of guest soloists. 

The opera's supervisory board has been approached by ballet and orchestra artists as well as soloists who say they face extremely high professional expectations while earning very low wages. Naturally, this raises concerns about making ends meet and creates a sense that Estonia does not value them. If cultural policy continues on the same path, the situation may become even more emotional. 

The theater is also hurt by the typically Estonian tangle surrounding the planned extension, where hopes for a proper opera and ballet hall rise and fall — either because the executive branch ignores a Riigikogu decision or because various forms of demagoguery bubble up. 

However, preparations for the extension have now reached the next stage. In the coming days, the tender for the opera's space programs will be announced, and the completed heritage protection requirements are being coordinated. 

What kind of opera and ballet culture do we need? 

The dispute around the national opera should not revolve around emotions. A far more important question is what kind of cultural policy Estonia is ready to create for its most complex and expensive art form. If we want internationally competitive opera and ballet culture, funding, working conditions and infrastructure must match that ambition. Otherwise, the same problems will resurface in a few years — regardless of who leads the theater or sits on the supervisory board. 

I sincerely hope that our young students striving for artistic excellence — future soloists working at the national opera or theaters around the world — see the ongoing debate more broadly than through isolated conflicts. I want them to continue believing that studying, working hard and developing professionally is still worthwhile in Estonia, and that our shared goal is to preserve and advance Estonian opera culture rather than sink it through infighting. 

The lack of a suitable hall for musical theater is one of the deepest structural problems in Estonian culture. The Riigikogu has already affirmed its importance and necessity twice. 

I would not want to see any link between the current public controversies and progress on the extension. The extension is a national cultural project planned for decades, while organizations naturally face and resolve various issues over time. Management and organizational problems must be addressed, but they cannot cast doubt on a strategic investment for the Estonian state and culture. 

The job market for opera singers is highly international. Every young singer dreams of breaking through to leading roles at La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera or the Royal Opera House. Unlike our national opera, those houses are not troupe theaters and have no salaried soloists, except for a few singers performing small supporting roles. Each production hires a cast of freelance singers who prepare and perform the show during a relatively compact rehearsal period. Troupe theaters offer stable contracts, but that means less freedom and smaller fees. Casting usually happens through auditions, and only a few make the cut. 

Estonia must remain a troupe theater 

As rector of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater, I consider it extremely important for Estonia's job market that the national opera remain a troupe theater, giving our outstanding singers stable employment that allows them to focus on art, professional fulfillment and the development of Estonian opera culture. 

It is essential for Estonia to finally get a modern opera and ballet hall that provides proper conditions for audiences, our own artists and top performers from the international opera and ballet world — something the current facilities unfortunately cannot offer. 

This is not an investment only in the national opera, but in the entire Estonian state, our cultural space and future generations. 

Over its nearly 120‑year history, the National Opera Estonia has survived wars, occupations, Soviet decorations and a ceiling painting depicting folk‑costumed maidens greeting occupiers, which is under national heritage protection, as well as economic crises and difficult reorganizations. It has always emerged stronger than before. I am convinced that this time as well, wisdom, dignity and determination will be found to focus on what matters most: solving problems and ensuring the continuity and development of Estonian opera and ballet culture.

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