The motto of the 12^th Estonian Youth Song and Dance Festival was “Here I’ll stay”—with a program that its authors felt was a call on young Esto-nians (and really anyone) to remember their Estonian roots.

One of the people behind the festival’s program, Veiko Tubin, is convinced that there is no danger the younger generations will lose their connection to the country and its culture.

“At the end of the festival I looked over the Song Festival Grounds and I could feel that everybody had given it everything,” Tubin said.

Valter Soosalu, who conducted the mixed choirs, said after his debut at the festival that while conducting “Isamaa ilu hoieldes”, a song that has become a symbol of Estonia’s Singing Revolution on the way to regaining its independence from the Soviet Union, he felt as if there was a proper fireworks going off over the scene.

“This is one of the songs that stirs up energy. Now after it all happened I couldn’t say anymore at what pace I conducted the song and how it all happened, but the song worked, and the singers went along with it,” Soosalu said.

The 12th Youth Song and Dance Festival took place from June 30 to July 2, 2017.

VES/ERR News