Mart Sander

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Martin Laurent Sander (born August 10, 1967 in Tallinn, Estonia) is an Estonian singer, actor, author, and television host.

Sander began his musical education at the age of 7, studying violin at the Tallinn Music School, followed by terms at the State Choreography School, and the Estonian Music Academy where he majored in piano and musical conducting. Sander has also studied medieval history, English and German.

Sander released his first recording "Kohv & suudlused" ("Coffee & Kisses") in 1986 and the following year released his first full-length album Modern Fox, which was also the name of his orchestra. Sander was also a member of the Estonian National Opera. During the early 1990s, after Estonia regained its independence, Sander began embarking on musical tours throughout Europe, most notably in Scandinavia and Germany and began appearing in Estonian television productions. Sander has performed in a number of European venues in English-language comic operas and musical theater. He has acted in six films, his first starring role being the 1989 Finnish film King of the Hit Parade and has directed two others, including 1992's Varas ("The Thief"). In 1993 he appeared on American television for the first time in the made-for-cable movie Candles in the Dark, opposite the notable Swiss actor Maximilian Schell and the American television actress Alyssa Milano. He currently hosts a popular weekly musical variety show on Estonian television. Sander, who speaks six languages, has also appeared on television in Russia, Germany, Finland, and Sweden.

In 2004 Sander released his first album in Great Britain entitled The Monckton Album, with selections of three Lionel Monckton musicals, on Divine Art Records and was prominently featured in the BBC documentary Estonia Dreams of Eurovison! (directed by American filmmaker Marina Zenovich) about the preparations for the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest in which Estonia was the host nation.

In 2005, Sander established and became the conductor of a Tallinn-based Bel-Etage Swing Swindlers dance orchestra, which released an album called Five-Fifteen: A Tribute To the BBC Dance Orchestra in Great Britain in 2005.

In late 2006, he co-hosted a very popular entertainment show "Tantsud tähtedega" (Dancing with the Stars), Estonian version of Strictly Come Dancing. Before that, he hosted a popular sing-along show "Tähed muusikas" (Stars in the Music), both on Estonia's Kanal 2 channel. Continuing with music again, he now hosts "Aastad muusikas" (Years in the Music), a musical entertainment programme that centers on retro and nostalgia values of music from recent and not-so-recent years gone by.

Sander has also written fiction novels in English: Mercator, published in 1994, Z, The Terminal Letter, 2005, and Lux Gravis, 2007. He is also a keen painter, who had an exhibition (copies of old masters) at the State Art Museum in spring 2006.

[edit] Trivia:

Height: 6'5 (197 cm)

Converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 14.

First Estonian solo vocalist to be recorded on CD (1989, Album Modern Fox, released in Finland. The only Estonian-language song on this CD is "Kui mind hülgad, mulle naerata" (When you leave me, give me just a smile), written and composed by himself.)

Was commended by HRM Queen Elizabeth II on her state visit to Estonia for championing British music, notably Gilbert and Sullivan, in Estonia.