Roman Toi

Roman Toi (18 June 1916 – 7 May 2018) was an Estonian-Canadian composer, choir conductor, and organist. Influenced by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Toi's music is melodic, lyrical, and melancholic in style. His compositional output includes nine cantatas (composed 1953–77), three symphonies (1969, 1972, 1974), and more than 80 choral works. Many of his compositions have become part of the standard Estonian choral repertoire.

Life and career Born in Kõo Parish, in the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire (now Estonia), Toi became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1957. He began his professional education at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Montreux, Switzerland and then studied at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg from 1942 to 1943 where he was a pupil of Clemens Krauss. He spent the next six years conducting and writing music for choirs, theatre, and radio in Europe. and died in May 2018 at the age of 101 in Toronto, Canada.