Juhan Simm

Who was Juhan Simm?

Juhan Simm was an Estonian composer.

Juhan Simm was born in Kivilõppe village, Vana-Suislepa Parish, Viljandi County, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire. He attended the village school in Suislepa and the parish school in Tarvastu. He studied from 1906 to 1910 at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Tartu. Early on he discovered his passion for music. In 1908 he founded the Tartu male choir. From 1912, he was a conductor of choirs. From 1912 to 1914 he studied conducting at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin with Alexander von Fielitz and composition with Wilhelm Klatte and Julius Stern. In 1924 he perfected his skills in conducting at the Grand Opéra in Paris.

From 1906 to 1910 Juhan Simm was employed in the theatre and concert hall Vanemuine in Tartu. From 1914 to 1916 he was musical director at the Vanemuine theatre, 1916-1925 Head of the local male choir and conductor from 1916 to 1940. 1926/27 and from 1944 to 1951, Simm taught conducting, music education and music theory at the Music School of Tartu. He founded and led several choirs in Estonia.