St Donats Arts Centre and Atlantic College welcome the President of Estonia during the Walestonia festival

15.10.2008

The President opened a joint exhibition at the arts centre by two of Estonia’s leading artists – father and son Vilen Künnapu and August Künnapu, called a ‘Common Energy Field’. Vilen Künnapu is one of the most important Estonian architects of the last three decades, and among the first post-modernist theoreticians and architects in the 1970s.

The President’s visit followed his address to the National Assembly for Wales in the morning and a meeting with the First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan. In the evening he participated in the Walestonia festival concert, in which the Estonian National Male Choir joined the BBC National Orchestra for Wales in the Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex performance at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea.

The cultural ties between Wales and Estonia began over decade ago. The similarities that link these two small countries are shown through their shared heritage of expressing national identity through the arts. There will be more than 30 Estonian events taking place this autumn in Wales including a concert tonight at St Donats Arts Centre by a distinguished Estonian Jazz ensemble. In total, more than 100 artists, musicians, filmmakers and performers are celebrating these cultural ties which mark the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

During the visit, Principal of Atlantic College, Neil Richards offered a full two-year scholarship for an Estonian student to attend the college for the 2009-2011 academic term. St Donats Arts Centre is based on the college campus which is one of twelve United World Colleges worldwide and the only one in the UK. It admits 170 students a year aged 16 to 19 from more than 75 countries, with the aim of fostering respect for diverse cultural, social and religious backgrounds.

President Ilves thanked the College for the great offer and said that Estonia would find a well suited candidate for the scholarship.