About Choir
photo- Jaan Krivel
The Chamber Choir of Tallinn University of Technology was founded in 1966 by the best singers of the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute (TPI) female and male choirs. Members of the choir are mostly TUT students and alumni. Over the years, the Chamber Choir has participated in many festivals and competitions in Estonia and all over Europe. Since 2021, Rihards Zariņš is the head conductor of the choir.
TUT Chamber choir’s goal is to continually evolve, discover new aspects of music and choral singing. We are constantly trying to find new outputs to our work and music with different projects, trips and competitions, and thereby keep and introduce Estonian choral culture both at home and abroad.
The 2023 year in the Chamber Choir began with the introduction of new singers in February, and then with diligent preparation for the spring concert “In the Rhythm of the Song Festival”, which was held in cooperation with the Chamber Choir of Tallinn University of Technology, the dance ensemble Kuljus and the Savijalakes Dance Ensemble. At the same time, we went to the pre-rehearsals of the Song Festival and learned the Brahms requiem. In May, Health Month was held within the choir. In June, we sang for university graduate students, and a few days later we gave two concerts in Berlin, and then we stood on stage with 800 people to perform the Brahms requiem. At the beginning of July, we took part in the watery Song Festival. The new semester brought joy to the house again and also the Inventors’ Song Festival. The year ended with the choir’s 57th birthday concert, and on the third Advent with Christmas concerts in St. Lambertus Church in Hager and Tabasalu Pihlakodu retirement home.
The year 2022 began in a calm rhythm, which, however, accelerated towards the 22nd Stasys Šimkus choir competition in Lithuania. A second-degree diploma was obtained at the competition. A month later, the choir once again drove back to Lithuanian to take part in the student song festival Gaudeamus, which took place in Vilnius.
In 2021, things started rolling again and a lot of effort was put into the choir’s 55th birthday. All the hard work culminated in a magnificent concert at Kaja Cultural Center, where the concert was also broadcast live. The performance also caught the eye of TalTech and won us the TalTech Cultural Work 2021.
2019 was an active year. The US choir came to visit and toured the Baltics. In Estonia, the concert culminated in the Alexela Concert Hall. Another big event was the choir’s own 53rd birthday concert where we involved a Latvian-Finnish choir Ziemeļmeita, saxophone quartet Next Move and a band.
In 2018, 2-5. May, the Tallinn University of Technology Chamber Choir participated in the Kaunas Lituania Cantat Festival, where it won a gold diploma and third place in the Grand Prix.
In 2016, the TUT Chamber Choir (former TPI Chamber Choir) celebrated its 50th anniversary. At the jubilee concert on 11. December 2016, both new and old songs were performed, and the alumni choirs also contributed to the concert.
In 2013 July, the TUT Chamber Choir participated in the 31. Festival Internacional de Musica de Cantonigros where they achieved 3rd place in the mixed choir category and 8th place in the folk category.
In July 2012, TUT Chamber Choir participated in Miltenberg IX International Choir Competition in two categories: in A-category we achieved 3rd place and in B-category 5th place.
In April 2012 TUT, Chamber Choir participated in XII Estonian Chamber Choir Festival in Türi.
In December 2011, TUT Chamber Choir celebrated its 45th anniversary.
The choir mostly performs a’cappella music, but it doesn’t exclude performances of large-scale works. Two such works were performed in winter 2011 – T. Kashif’s ‘The Queen Symphony’ for choir and orchestra and S. Dobrogosz’s ‘Mass’ for choir, string orchestra and piano solo. During the recent years, beside classical music composers, the choir has expanded its repertoire with contemporary music including such composers as M. Lauridsen, A. Pärt, E. Rautavaara, P. Vasks., E. Whitacre, etc.
In April 2011, TUT Chamber Choir participated in the XII International Choir Festival ‘Tallinn 2011’ which took place in Estonia Concert Hall.
In April 2010, TUT Chamber Choir got the first place in the A category at the XI Chamber Choir Festival in Haapsalu. The choir was also prized for the best performance of the mandatory song ‘Solfeggio’ (Arvo Pärt)
In summer 2009, TUT Chamber Choir went to the Choir Festival ‘Europa Cantat’ in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to participate in the Dutch-Flemish polyphonic music studio.
In spring 2008, the joint concert-conductor exchange took place between TUT Chamber Choir and Stockholm University of Technology. The project entailed concerts in Estonia and Sweden.
In 2006, TUT Chamber Choir released the record ‘Elu põhjataeva all’ (‘Life Beneath the Northern Sky’) to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
In 2004, TUT Chamber Choir received the first prize ‘cum laude’ in the Veldhoven International Youth Choir Festival in The Netherlands.