Estonian-born Tarm a winner of America's highest cultural award for young people

Jan. 15, 2013PRESS RELEASETallinn-born Jonas Tarm is a winner of America's most prestigious national award of young artists, whose past winners have included actress Vanessa Williams, violinist Jennifer Koh, singer Nicki Minaj and jazz musician Terence Blanchard.Tarm, 19, was one of just 150 artists chosen for the National YoungArts Foundation award from 10,000 candidates. He was named for his composition work. Other winners included dancers, singers, actors, instrumentalists, film makers, writers, photographers and visual artists. Tarm won the award for music composition.As part of the award, Tarm's work "Las Ruinas Circulares" was played at Miami's New World Center concert hall. At the sold-out concert, he also conducted the encore, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in an orchestral version Tarm helped to arrange.The Miami-based National YoungArts Foundation was founded 32 years ago as a way to identify future stars on the American cultural scene. A Jan. 7 Miami Herald newspaper article called this year's winners "top-tier...brilliant talents."Tarm went to the Tallinn Old Town Collegium (VHK) until moving to Chicago at 10 with his parents, Eve and Mihkel Tarm. He now studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston; earlier, he studied violin and music composition at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy.Tarm is currently writing a work for the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, which will be performed at the Days of Estonian Music in Tallinn, Estonia in early April. Last summer, he also took part in the Järvi Summer Festival in Pärnu, Estonia.As part of week-long activities for winners in Miami this past week, Tarm studied with world-class artists, including violinist Joshua Bell and composer Richard Danielpour. Other teachers at the event included Plácido Domingo and Bobby McFerrin.The award also includes scholarships that range from $1,000 to $10,000. Tarm, has previously won multiple scholarship, including from the Estonian Heritage Foundation, Estonian Students Assistance Foundation and the Estonian Culture Capital.Tarm has won other prestigious awards in the United States, including first place last year in the 50-state composition contests sponsored by the Music National Teachers Association.Links:Foundation list of winners: http://www.youngarts.org/sites... Foundation homepage: http://www.youngarts.org The New World Center: http://www.newworldcenter.com Video of the YoungArts Chamber Music Concert: http://www.livestream.com/youn... Tarm’s “Las Ruinas Circulares” starts at 54:10The encore, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, starts at 02:28:44. Tarm play’s violin in the beginning and takes over the podium a few minutes after.Contacts:National YoungArts FoundationMegan V. Sprengersprengerm@finnpartners.comMiami, Florida +1-917-621-5135Jonas Tarm: +1-847-525-4560jftarm@gmail.com