Meelis Olev

Meelis Olev is an Estonian organist, pianist and composer based in Tartu. As a school student at Viljandi Maagümnaasium he represented Estonia at the International Olympiad in Informatics in 1999, winning a Bronze medal (score 199, rank 86/253). He then studied bioinformatics at the University of Tartu, graduating in 2006, and worked as a software developer, before turning to music: he completed rhythm-music piano studies at the Heino Eller Tartu Music School in 2015 and has served as a church organist for the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church since 2014. He publishes his own compositions, arrangements and sheet music on his personal site.

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• Represented Estonia at the 1999 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), winning a Bronze medal with a score of 199, ranked 86th of 253 contestants.
• Born 13 August 1981 in Estonia; graduated Viljandi Maagümnaasium in 1999, then studied bioinformatics at the University of Tartu (degree 2006).
• Turned to music after the bioinformatics degree: completed rhythm-music piano studies at Heino Eller Tartu Music School in 2015, and has worked as a church organist (EELK) in Tartu since 2014.
• Was a Viljandi Maagümnaasium pupil/graduate when selected for the 1999 IOI team; the Estonian team travelled with coaches Ahto Truu and Targo Tennisberg.
• Runs a personal music site (meelisolev.pri.ee) publishing own compositions, arrangements, children's songs, lyrics, MIDI files and sheet music — an active working composer/arranger, not only a performer.
• Prior programming career includes software roles at REGIO Ltd. (mobile-positioning software, 2009-2010), InfoSys OU (2003-2005) and technical work at the Estonian Agricultural University (2013) and TEA publishing (technical editor, 2010).
• Serves as organist for more than one Tartu congregation — EELK Tartu Maarja and Tartu Soome (Finnish) congregations — on top of the Rannu church organ dedication in 2019.
• Won the Heino Eller rhythm-music department youth composition competition award in both 2011 and 2012 — an early sign of a composing focus before the 2015 piano degree.
• Mentored the Tartu youth folk ensemble Allikabänd in its first year (founded 2010), before Kertu Rein (2011-2013) and Toivo Sõmer (2016-) took over.
• Credited in the Estonian Film Database for film music on the student musical 'Tudengimuusikal' (2009), showing his composing reached screen work during the Tartu years.
• Performed as a jazz/rock keyboardist in Tartu — e.g. 'JaZZeppelin' Led Zeppelin tribute at Tartu Jazz Club (Feb 2013) and a Pat Metheny tribute with Eller school players.
• Previously blogged at meelisolev.wordpress.com (2012-2018) before consolidating onto meelisolev.pri.ee, an early sign the personal site has been his main public channel for over a decade.