Heinrich Schultz

Who was Heinrich Schultz?

Heinrich Schultz was an Estonian cultural functionary, the organizer of international jazz festivals in Tallinn, Estonia, then part of the Soviet Union.

He was born in Valga, Estonia, the son of a Baltic German father and a Russian mother.

During World War II Heinrich Schultz served in the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps of the Red Army as a company clerk. He was awarded Order of Glory, 3rd class, Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class and several medals for his war efforts.

From 1961 to 1967, as head of the Cultural Department at the Tallinn Executive Committee of the Council of Workers’ Deputies, he also organized international jazz festivals, dance competitions and other cultural events. The largest and most acclaimed of them, Tallinn International Jazz Festival "Tallinn '67" took place in May 1967, featuring the renowned Charles Lloyd Quartet from the USA. In addition, jazz groups from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Sweden, Finland and Poland participated.