Career
He was considered one of the most popular players at the time called the king of bagpipe players. During his lifetime Juhan Maaker performed with great success in hundreds of concert halls and became popular all over Estonia and also in Finland. In 1927-1928 he took part of five concert tours in Estonia organized by August Pulst, an activist in promoting folk music in cooperation with the Estonian Open-Air Museum Society giving all together 244 concerts.
36 pieces performed by Juhan Maakeri have been preserved and digitized from Phonograph wax cylinders found in the Estonian Literature museum.
During his lifetime a sculpture of Juhan Maaker was made by the Estonian National Museum"s sponsorship. In modern times bagpipe playing is a part of the curriculum at University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy"s Traditional Music faculty and in a number of regular music schools around the country.
