Nele-Liis Vaiksoo

Nele-Liis Vaiksoo (born 16 March 1984 in Tallinn)^[1] is an Estonian singer and actress, known for her work in musical theatre.

Biography

In the 1990s, Nele-Liis Vaiksoo toured Europe with the Eesti Televisioon (ETV) concert choir where she had been singing from an early age. Simultaneously, she took piano classes in a music school. In 2000 she was placed fourth at the all-Estonian song contest for children, organized by ETV. Vaiksoo's first role in a musical was the 1998 Estonian original production of The King and I.

On 7 November 2023, she was announced as one of the finalists of Eesti Laul 2024, the Estonian selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, with the song "Käte ümber jää".^[2] Prior to this, she had participated in the Estonian pre-selection for Eurovision either as a backing singer, or member of multiple performing acts. Her entry was placed 3rd in the final round of the voting.

Stage work

• 1998: The King and I (harem) Tallinn City Hall
• 2000: Tanz der Vampire (Sarah) Tallinn City Hall
• 2001: No, No, Nanette (choir artist) Tallinn City Hall
• 2001: Les Misérables (Factory Girl; Cosette, understudy) Tallinn City Hall
• 2002: Miss Saigon (Kim) Tallinn City Hall
• 2003: Aida (choir, Amneris, understudy) Vanemuine theatre
• 2003: Miss Saigon (Kim, understudy) Germany, Luxembourg
• 2003: Oliver! (Bet) Tallinn City Hall
• 2004: Crazy for You (choir)
• 2005: West Side Story (Maria) Vanemuine theatre
• 2005: Cats (Jemima) Vanemuine theatre
• 2005: Cinderella (Cinderella) Tallinn City Hall
• 2006: Fame (Serena) Tallinn City Hall
• 2007: Personals (Claire)
• 2007: Phantom (mother) Tallinn City Hall
• 2007: Pippi Longstocking (Pippi) Tallinn City Hall
• 2008: Tanz der Vampire (Sarah) Oberhausen, Germany
• 2011: Pippi Longstocking (Pippi) Estonian National Opera
• 2011: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins) Vanemuine theatre
• 2012: Dreams from a Summer House, drama play, (Belle)
• 2013: Shrek (Fiona) Tallinn Youth Theatre
• 2017: Les Misérables (Fantine) Vanemuine theatre
• 2018: Beauty and the Beast (Babette) Vanemuine theatre
• 2019: West Side Story (Rosalia) Estonian National Opera
• 2019: The Maid of the North, oratorio, (title role)
• 2023: Lotte ja kadunud jõuluvana ("Lotte and the Lost Santa Claus"), (cough)
• 2024: The Prophet and the Idiot, drama play, Vanemuine theatre

Nele-Liis Vaiksoo has voiced the Estonian version of Disney's Tangled (2011), dubbing the leading character, Rapunzel. In 2012, she gave her voice to another Disney's 3D animation The Lion King, dubbing Nala.

She has participated in TV entertainment shows, such as "Your Face Sounds Familiar" and rose awareness about cancer and premature births by participating in charity events.

Discography

In 2003 the album We Are Family was released, which was recorded by Vaiksoo and eight other Estonian solo artists, such as Kaire Vilgats, Maiken, Bert Pringi, Lauri Liiv, and Lauri Pihlap. In 2008 she released a Christmas album together with Rolf Roosalu.^[3]

In 2011, Nele-Liis Vaiksoo released a concept album of the musical Pipi Pikksukk ("Pippi Longstocking") in which she played the lead character, Pipi.

In 2013, she released an album Mina ("Me") to celebrate her 15 years on musical stage. The album consists of numbers from different musicals in which she has, or still hoped to be playing in (Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, Cats, Cabaret, Chess and many more).

2021 saw the release of "Valguses ja varjus", a tribute album to lyricist Leelo Tungal and her accomplishments in Estonian music.

Personal life

Nele-Liis Vaiksoo lives in Tallinn, she is a mother of two. Her mother Liia Vaiksoo is a theatrical costume designer, her father Raul Vaiksoo is an architect and publicist. Her brother Raul Markus Vaiksoo is a folk dance teacher.

References