Estonian composer, pianist and improviser, she is one of the leading figures of contemporary Estonian music. She studied composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with Toivo Tulev, before continuing her studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague with Peter Adriaansz and Cornelis de Bondt. She also pursued studies in electronic music, improvisation and performance art.
Her output encompasses orchestral, chamber, choral, theatrical, film and electroacoustic music. Her compositional language is distinguished by an exceptional sensitivity to timbre, a focus on the very phenomenon of sound, and a pursuit of formal clarity. Equally central to her work are microtonality, subtle acoustic processes, and a reflection on modes of deep, attentive listening. Hirsch approaches sound as a field of inquiry, creating works that unfold slowly and organically, revealing the richness of their internal sonic relationships.
Her music has been performed at numerous leading contemporary music festivals including the ISCM World Music Days, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, MATA Festival, Ostrava Days, Young Euro Classic, Estonian Music Days, and Afekt Festival. She has cooperated with ensembles and institutions such as the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony, Cappella Amsterdam, Nordic Affect and New York’s S.E.M. Ensemble.
She has twice received the Estonian Theatre Award for her theatre music. International recognition also came in 2016, when her work Mechanics of Flying received the European Composer Award at the Young Euro Classic festival in Berlin. The previous year, her composition Ascending… Descending was selected at the International Rostrum of Composers.
She is currently active as a freelance composer and teaches composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Selected works: Page One for piano (2003), De noche… solo di sed for piano (2004), Before the Words for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2006), Vseva’s Light for piano (2006), Old Piano for piano (2008), Vari for male choir (2012), Restless for male choir (2012), Miracle of Vanishing Manifests Itself in Turning the Kaleidoscope for mixed choir (2014), Four Glides for Eleven for flute, oboe, violin, cello, double bass, clarinet, two bass clarinets, horn, trombone and piano (2014), Glides for Six for soprano, clarinet, violin, viola, double bass and piano (2014), Cloud Tones for viola and piano (2015), Ascending. Descending for violin and string orchestra (2015), Four Glides for two trumpets, two trombones, two violins, viola, double bass and projection (2015), Brautigan Circles for two sopranos, alto, tenor, bass, piccolo, flute, clarinet, two soprano saxophones, horn, trumpet, two trombones, tuba, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano and percussion (2015), Mechanics of Flying for chamber orchestra (2016), Wings for 12 voices and string orchestra (2016), Cloud Tones for bass flute, double bass and piano (2015–17), Threshold for chamber orchestra (2017), Dynamics of Contact for violin, viola and cello (2017; also version for Baroque instruments), Fields for two wind quintets (2018), Terrains for two pianos played by a single pianist (2018), Kuma for 12 SATB voices and electronics (2018), Canvasfor string orchestra (2019), Autarkes for instrumental ensemble (2020), Us… and Them… for saxophone quartet and fixed media (2020), Quantum Well for prepared piano (2020), Flowings for two pianos (2020), Glides for violin, cello, soprano / tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass flute and piano (2014–21), Cantica for cello and electronics (2022), Page One for two pianos (2003–23), Gazing Zephyr for countertenor, piano and electronics (one musician) (2023), Earth Veins for six bagpipes (2023), Celsius –23˚ for harpsichord, harp, kannel, electronics and resonating vessels (2024), Kaduva kajad for alto, soprano saxophone, violin and cello (2024), Hing, hingeke for male choir and Tibetan singing bowls or electronics (2024), Where They Grow Their Leaves for violin, viola, cello, clarinet and piano (2015–25), Liiv’s “Code” for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, alto flute and sampler (2025), Chorus. Immerse. Symmetry for Estonian bagpipes, violin, viola, cello and double bass (2025), Rising Realms for large symphony orchestra (2026), Was die Sonnen übersteht for chamber choir (2026).