Kaire Vilgats
Kaire Vilgats (Kaire Lõhmus by marriage since January 2009), born on January 11, 1976[1] is an Estonian singer and actress.
Vilgats was born and grew up in Pärnu, a resort town in the south-west of Estonia. At an early age, she learned the accordion in a music school but as a teenager she went on to solo singing.
Career
Vilgats has been trained in pop-jazz singing at the Georg Ots Music School in Tallinn, with Silvi Vrait as her vocal coach.
In 1999, Vilgats was awarded third place in the Kaks takti ette contest for young singers, organized by Estonian Television. The winner of that season was Estonian rock star, Tanel Padar, with Eda-Ines Etti being a runner-up.
In 1999, she was also in the choir of the Estonian production of the musical La Cage aux Folles which was her theatre début. A series of supporting roles in musicals followed.
Vilgats is also the musical director of the Estonian Puppet Theatre in Tallinn, where has composed music for children's musicals and plays, like, The Little Witch.
In 2006, she was nominated for the annual Estonian theatre prize for the supporting role of Amps in the musical Romeo ja Julia but did not win.
Roles
- 2000: Tanz der Vampire (Magda)
- 2000: Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal)
- 2000: Zorba (Leader)
- 2001: Les Misérables (Mme Thenardier, understudy)
- 2002: Miss Saigon (Gigi)
- 2003: Fiddler on the Roof (Golde)
- 2004: Crazy for You (Irene Roth)
- 2006: Fame (Esther Sherman)
- 2006: Romeo & Julia (Amps)
- 2007: Phantom (Carlotta)
- 2008: Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney)
- 2008: Buratino senitundmatud seiklused (Malviina)
- 2011: The Warewolf (Grandmother)
- 2011: The Beauty and the Beast (Teapot)
- 2011: Karlsson on the Roof (Hildur Sokk), drama
- 2012: Seljatas sada meest (Maria Loorberg), drama
- 2013: Shrek (Dragon)
- 2015: Billy Elliiot (Mrs Wilkinson)
Vilgats has appeared in the choir of a number of shows in Estonia, such as Evita, La Cage aux Folles, Georg, No, No, Nanette, Mort and Snow Queen.
Other credits
Vilgats provided her vocals for the album Family. We are Family, released in 2003 as a cooperative effort of several popular vocalists, such as Nele-Liis Vaiksoo and Lauri Pihlap.
Vilgats often supports Estonian pop acts as a backing vocalist, Anne Veski, Ivo Linna and Maarja to name a few. She took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000 and 2002 singing backing vocals for the Estonian and Maltese songs, receiving 4th and 2nd place respectively. In the 2014 contest she once again represented Estonia as a backing singer for the Estonian entry at the contest. She has also performed with the Estonian Police Orchestra and a number of other orchestras and groups.
Vilgats has been open about her weight problems and has therefore given patronage to sporting events, like Tartu Maraton in which she successfully participates.
She has co-hosted TV-shows.
Personal life
Vilgats, married to a music producer Johannes Lõhmus, is a mother of three children, two sons and a daughter.
Vilgats' mother is Ester Vilgats, a news journalist for Estonian Public Broadcasting.