Silvi Vrait | |
|---|---|
 Silvi Vrait in 1989 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1951-04-28)28 April 1951 Kehra, Estonia |
| Died | 28 June 2013(2013-06-28) (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 anEstonian singer and music teacher.[1]
Vrait was born inKehra in 1951 to Einar "Edward" Wright, aMinnesota-born American ofFinnish 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 theUniversity of Tartu with a degree inEnglish philology. From 1994, she taught English in a secondary school inTallinn. Vrait coached vocalists,Evelin Samuel andKaire Vilgats among many at theGeorg Ots Music School in Tallinn.[1]
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 theatreVanemuine inTartu. 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, theSinging 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 inmusicals andoperas, such as"Põhjaneitsi" ("The Maid of the North") (Mutik, 1980),Porgy and Bess (Bess, 1985),The King and I (Lady Thiang, 1998),Zorba (Storyteller, 2000),Gypsy (Mama Rose, 2001),Chicago (Mama Morton, 2004) andThe Sound of Music (Mother Abbess, 2003, reprised in 2010),Cabaret (Fräulein Schneider, 2012).[1]
In 1994, Vrait was the representative of Estonia at theEurovision Song Contest, held inDublin that year. Her song "Nagu merelaine" ended up on 24th out of 25 places, beating onlyLithuania whodidn't receive any points.[1]
In 2013 Vrait was hospitalized with a brain tumour and died on 28 June 2013, aged 62.[3] She was buried at Tallinn'sForest Cemetery.[2] Vrait is survived by her son, Silver Vrait.[4][5] A memorial bench in honour of her was opened at her hometown Kehra in August 2014.[6]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none | Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 | Succeeded by |
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