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About me
Martin Karu is an Estonian countertenor currently studying at the Guildhall School Of Music and Drama in London. Since 2020 his teacher has been countertenor Andrew Watts. Karu began taking opera singing lessons in Estonia at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College in 2015. His teachers were countertenor and conductor Risto Joost and soprano Eha Pärg.
Mr. Karu is mainly concentrated on Baroque operas, oratorios and songs, music from the Renaissance era and contemporary classical music. Karu has performed compositions by Arvo Pärt, J. Dove, Bernstein, Wolf, Pergolesi, Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, Purcell, Dowland etc. In addition to singing in Italian, German and English, he has sung in Hebrew, Latin and Estonian.
Karu`s first solo concert took place in 2018 at the Viljandi Early Music Festival with viola da gamba consort väikerinG where they performed music from the Renaissance era and religious folksong arrangements by Cyrillus Kreek. At the end of the year, Karu debuted as a soloist in G. F. Handel`s oratorio “Messiah”. In 2018 and 2019, Karu sang his first cantatas (BWV 54 & TWV 1:1498) at the Early Music Festival Tallinn feat Reval. The following year Karu made his first attendance at the international music festival called Mustonenfest. In 2021 Karu made many debuts such as performing with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (arias from Bach`s “St Matthew Passion” & “St John Passion”), first public appearance in England at the JAM on the Marsh multi-art festival in Kent (Bernstein “Chichester Psalms”), performed with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Baroque Orchestra conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste (Bach “Mass in G minor”) and made a debut at the Vanemuine Theatre`s Opera Gala (arias from Handel`s opera “Giulio Cesare”).
Currently residing in London.
Excellent performance from technical and emotional viewpoints.
