URMAS LATTIKAS

Born: August 17th, 1960, Tapa, Estonia (Soviet Union)

Nationality: Estonian

In due course, the short impression below will be replaced with a more extensive career overview

BIOGRAPHY

Urmas Lattikas studied composition at the Estonian Music Academy (1977-86) and followed post-graduate courses in jazz piano and jazz composition at Berklee College of Music, Boston (1990). In both 1984 and 1985, Lattikas won first prize in the Uno Naissoo Composition Contest. He founded the Urmas Lattikas Quintet, which represented Estonia in the 1992 European Jazz Night; with his quintet, he recorded the album Freedom To Love, Freedom To Lose. In 1997, he was the Estonian participant in the Euradio Big Band Project. As a composer, he wrote music for symphonic and chamber orchestra, choirs, films, and theatre performances.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Urmas Lattikas was the conductor of the Estonian entry in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, ‘Nagu merelaine’, sung by Silvi Vrait. The song was written by Leelo Tungal and composed by Ivar Must. Must worked on the arrangement in collaboration with Lattikas. Unfortunately, this melodious song finished second-last in the voting. 

One year previously, Lattikas also wrote the record arrangement to Estonia's entry in the Kvalifikacija za Millstreet pre-selection show in Ljubljana, with strings being added by Tõnu Kõrvits. Although a very melodious song, 'Muretut meelt ja südametuld', performed by Janika Sillamaa, failed to win enough jury votes to qualify for the final in Ireland, thus postponing Estonia's debut in the festival with one year. In Ljubljana, the conducting honours were taken by Peeter Lilje.

EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR

1993 Millstreet

Country – Estonia

Song title – “Muretut meelt ja südametuld”

Rendition – Janika Sillamaa

Lyrics – Leelo Tungal

Composition – Andres Valkonen

Studio arrangement – Urmas Lattikas

Live orchestration – Tõnis Kõrvits

Conductor – Peeter Lilje

Score semi-final – 5th place (47 votes) & DNQ

1994 Dublin

Country – Estonia

Song title – “Nagu merelaine”

Rendition – Silvi Vrait

Lyrics – Leelo Tungal

Composition – Ivar Must

Studio arrangement – Ivar Must / Urmas Lattikas

(Estonia Radio Stage Orchestra conducted by Urmas Lattikas)

Live orchestration – Urmas Lattikas

Conductor – Urmas Lattikas

Score – 24th place (2 votes)