Kairiin Kukk wins third Jaak Sooäär young jazz musician scholarship

Estonian pianist and composer Kairiin Kukk, 26, has received the third Jaak Sooäär scholarship for a young jazz musician, ERR reported.

Sooäär said Kukk was one of the most distinctive musicians of the younger generation on Estonia’s jazz scene. He praised the work she is developing with her ensemble and said it had already been performed in several places. He added that her original ideas and concepts deserved further development and that her music would soon reach audiences beyond Estonia.

Kukk graduated from the Heino Eller Tartu Music College and earned a bachelor’s degree from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in jazz piano at the academy.

The scholarship was launched in 2024 by the Culture Partnership Foundation to support young Estonian jazz musicians’ studies and international careers. Its first recipients were pianist Lisanne Pappel and guitarist Marcus Tuul in 2024. Composer, singer and conductor Bianca Rantala received the second scholarship the following year.

This year’s 5,000-euro scholarship will be presented at a concert at Philly Joe’s on the evening of December 17. Kukk will perform alongside vocalist Paula Žuga, guitarists Pent Järve and Jaak Sooäär, bassist Karl Tammaru and drummer Aron Talu.