The Tapiola Choir ( fi, Tapiolan kuoro, sv, Tapiolakören,
originally ''Tapiolan Yhteiskoulun kuoro''
) is a
children's 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 sp ...
from
Espoo,
Finland. The choir was founded in 1963 by Erkki Pohjola. Pohjola led the choir from its formation until 1994 and cultivated a pedagogical style based on the teachings of
Zoltan Kodály and
Carl Orff.
During Pohjola's tenure as artistic director the choir undertook some fifty tours of the USA, Japan and the USSR among other countries.
In 1994 the director's post was taken over by Kari Ala-Pöllänen and in 2008 by Pasi Hyökki.
The choir has enjoyed international acclaim and has become associated with the concept of the "Tapiola Sound" which critics have used to describe its uniquely clear and natural sound.
In 1971 the Tapiola Choir won the
BBC Let the People Sing contest with a programme that included the piece ''Aglepta'' by
Arne Mellnäs Arne Otto Birger Mellnäs (Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandina ...
which was considered too difficult to perform by some Scandinavian choirs. The choir was awarded the
UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of the Arts in 1996 and the Youth Choir of the Year award by the
Finnish Broadcasting Company in 2005.
In 2017 the
Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland awarded the Tapiola Choir with the ''Lapsenpäivä'' prize for excellence in art education.
In 1984 former members of the choir founded the Tapiola Chamber Choir. In 2020 the choir established the Kari Ala-Pöllänen prize to be awarded biennially to accomplished and inspiring Finnish school choir directors.
See also
*
Tapiola Sinfonietta The Tapiola Sinfonietta (founded 1987) is a city orchestra of Espoo, Finland. The orchestra consists of 41 members and its principal concert venue is Tapiola Hall (with 773 seats) at the Espoo Cultural Centre.
At the beginning Jorma Panula, Osmo V ...
References
External links
Tapiolan kuoro
Tapiola
Finnish choirs
Youth choirs
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