Silvi Vrait
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2014) |
Silvi Vrait | |
|---|---|
 Silvi Vrait in 1989 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 28 April 1951 Kehra, Estonia |
| Died | 28 June 2013 (aged 62) Tallinn, Estonia |
| Genres | Jazz, country, rock, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, music teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1972–2013 |
Silvi Vrait (28 April 1951 – 28 June 2013) was an Estonian singer and music teacher.[1]
Biography
Vrait was born in Kehra in 1951 to Einar "Edward" Wright, a Minnesota-born American of Finnish ancestry and his Estonian wife Senta (née Schönberg).[2] She had a half-sister, Pille, five years her senior.[2]
Vrait graduated from the Kehra Music School in 1968 on piano. In 1974 she graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in English philology. From 1994, she taught English in a secondary school in Tallinn. Vrait coached vocalists at the Georg Ots Music School in Tallinn.[1]
Stage career
Silvi Vrait first appeared on stage in 1972 when she performed in a TV show. She was a member of several pop and rock musical ensembles, including Viker 5, Suuk, Initsiaal and in 1975, she joined the popular band Fix. From 1976 to 1983 she was active in theatre Vanemuine in Tartu. Her style varies from jazz to country and from rock to folk. In the late 1980s, she was an important figure within the Estonian armless struggle for restoring the independence, the Singing Revolution, for at least two recordings, "Väikene rahvas, väikene maa" ("Small Nation, Tiny Country") and "Ei ole üksi ükski maa" ("No Land Is Alone").[1]
She appeared in musicals and operas, such as Porgy and Bess (Bess, 1985), Zorba (Leader, 2000), Cabaret (Fräulein Schneider, 2012), Gypsy (Rose, 2001), The King and I (Lady Thiang, 1998), Chicago (Mama Morton, 2004) and The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess, 2003, reprised in 2010).[1]
In 1994, Vrait was the representative of Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Dublin that year. Her song "Nagu merelaine" ended up on 24th out of 25 places, beating only Lithuania.[1]
Death
In 2013 Vrait was hospitalized with a brain tumour and died on 28 June 2013, aged 62. She was survived by her son, Silver Vrait.[3] She was buried at Tallinn's Forest Cemetery.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e Vihmand, Jaak (4 February 2006). "Silvi Vrait — staar elu lõpuni" (in Estonian). Postimees. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b c Tali, Piret (4 October 2017). "Salapärane Silvi Vrait – nii jää kui tulikuum". Eesti Naine (in Estonian). Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ Suri lauljanna Silvi Vrait (in Estonian)
External links
- Silvi Vrait discography at MusicBrainz
- Silvi Vrait at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1951 births
- 2013 deaths
- Estonian female singers
- Estonian pop singers
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1994
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Estonia
- Estonian musical theatre actresses
- Estonian-language singers
- Estonian people of Finnish descent
- Music educators
- People from Kehra
- Singers from Tallinn
- Deaths from brain tumor
- Deaths from cancer in Estonia
- Burials at Metsakalmistu
- University of Tartu alumni
- 20th-century Estonian actresses
- 21st-century Estonian actresses
- 20th-century Estonian singers
- 20th-century women singers
- Women music educators
- Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class
- Teachers of English as a second or foreign language