The Polytech Choir ( fi, Polyteknikkojen Kuoro; PK) is an academic male

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

established in 1900. The majority of the choir's members are engineering students and graduate engineers from Aalto University. The activities of the choir include traditional spring and Christmas concerts, frequent recordings, and performances with leading Finnish

symphony orchestras An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. The choir's current artistic director and conductor, since 2013, is Saara Aittakumpu. PK's ''a cappella'' repertoire consists mainly of classical music, ranging from Renaissance madrigals to the Romantic era and contemporary works, and also includes occasional forays to other genres such as jazz. A centerpiece of the choir's choral symphonic repertoire has been Jean Sibelius' symphonic poem Kullervo. In 2015, the choir made its debut at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Ha ...

, performing Sibelius' Kullervo with the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

conducted by Sakari Oramo. In addition to performances a cappella and with orchestras, the choir, its quartets and other smaller ensembles frequently perform at private, corporate and academic festivities. The Polytech Choir has commissioned and premiered nearly 40 new works for male choir during the past 20 years, including two International Rostrum of Composers prizewinners by Jukka Tiensuu and Eero Hämeenniemi, and performed Finnish premieres of works by

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering wo ...

and

Toru Takemitsu TORU or Toru may refer to: * TORU, spacecraft system * Toru (given name), Japanese male given name * Toru, Pakistan, village in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan * Tõru, village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, Estonia {{disambig ...

Conductors

* Heikki Klemetti (1900–ca. 1905) * Martti Pitkänen (1910s) * R.R. Ryynänen (1920s) * Ossi Elokas (1933–1969) * Eero Erkkilä (1969–1971) * Heikki Saari (1971–1984) * Tapani Länsiö (1984–2004) * Juha Kuivanen (2004–2013) * Saara Aittakumpu (2013–)

Selected discography

*''Toki!'' ( contemporary Finnish works for male voice choir composed in the 1980s) (1990) *''Matkalla – Male Voice Voyage'' ( contemporary Finnish works for male voice choir composed in the 1990s) (1999) *''Me toivotamm (choral works for Christmas, sol.

Essi Wuorela Essi Wuorela is a Finnish soprano. She is an original member of the ensemble Rajaton, founded in 1997, but also began a solo career in 1994. She studied music at Sibelius High School and later Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory, from which she gr ...

) (2000) *''Vuodet – Polyteknikkojen kuoro 100 vuotta'' (works performed by the choir during its first century) (2004) *''Mies'' (

National Romantic Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

, 20th-century and contemporary works for male voice choir) (2006) *''Kultakausi'' (Finnish

works for male voice choir) (2008) *''Joulu on meillä'' (choral works for Christmas, sol. Matti Salminen) (2009) *''Kuunteletko Sinä'' ( contemporary Finnish works commissioned by the choir between 2007–12) (2013)

External links

The Official Home Page of the ChoirChristmas Concerts of the Polytech Choir
Musical groups established in 1900 University choirs Boys' and men's choirs Finnish choirs {{Finland-band-stub

Conductors

Selected discography

See also

External links