The diary:
2005
- Choir published its new CD The Song of
Extinct Birds in April.
- In June the choir gave two concerts in the Cité de la Musique in Paris.
- In July the choir made a three week tour to Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Ningbo. More
about the tour here.
- In August the choir performed in the World Championship 2005 Gala in Dipoli,
Espoo.
- The Finnish Broadcasting Company chose Tapiola Choir as the Youth Choir of the
Year.
- In November choir's ensembles Maaemo and Quinted became the first and second
in the national ensemble singing competition arranged by the Finnish Youth Choir
Association.
- In December the choir gave a concert in the Parco della Musica in Rome.
2004
- In May the choir gave concerts in France in Rouen and Tour, and visited France
again in June, giving several concerts around the Picardie region.
- In November the choir visited Estonia on the request of Estonian Choir
Association. Concerts were given in Tarto, Pärnu and Tallin. The concert in
Talling was broadcasted in Estonia..
2003
- In 27 and 28 September the Choir performed succesfully in the
World Voice festival in London, giving two concerts and one work
shop in the Queen Elisabeth Hall. Sanna Valvanne participated as
a guest, presenting the pieces in her charming way, and singing
also in the choir's ranks. Specially the main concert in Saturday
evening was a success. The Choir performed to the audience of
almost 800 persons in a twin concert where Tapiola Choir's
concert was followed by concert of the Rossica Choir. The concert
was appraised in two newspapers; the Times and the Independent,
and received full five stars in both. Michael Church's review in
the Independen 6 October 2003 can be found through the following
link: Michael Church 6.10.2003 .
- In June the Choir participated in the Musik im 21. Jahrhundert
festival in Saarbrücken, giving one own concert (including also
the first performance of "Tom's a-cold" by Juha T.
Koskinen) and partisipating in the performance of Kaija
Saariaho's "Chateau de l’âme" in a concert of
Rthe undfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, conducted by Jukka-Pekka
Saraste.(Comments by the arts director of the festival, composer Kaija
Saariaho)
- The German tour was continued in Welschneudorf, Bad Kissingen
and Wolfratshausen, where choir's concerts were well received.
The tour was concluded in the opening concert of the
International Chamber Choir Festival in Marktoberdorf, where the
choir got a warm appraisal from an audience of more than 500
persons. (Pictures from the tour can be found in the Pictures page)
More thorough recapitulation of the
Jubilee Year.
2002
- The main event of the 2002 was the Choir Espoo festival which
also included the international SongBridge event. The choir
received guests from Venezuela and South Korea, and had the
opportunity to work and sing together with Cantoria Juvenil and
World Vision Korea Children's Choir.
- In November the choir participated and performed in the Finnish
Youth Choir Association's 30 Years Celebration Concert in Pori.
Cantoria Juvenil
World Vision Korea Children's Choir
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2001
- Tapiola Choir and Kesko signed an agreement on mutual
co-operation.
- In the summer the choir toured in France, Belgium and Germany.
In France, giving concerts in Normandy at the festival Les
Conviviales and in Belgium at Festival de Vallonie. The tour
continued to Northern Germany, to the Schleswig-Holstein Music
Festival.
- In August, Tapiola Choir got a new manager, Ms Saga Wiklund.
- The Kodály-symposium and The Fifth International Congress of
Voice Teachers took place in Helsinki at the end of the summer.
Tapiola Choir gave concerts and workshops in both events.
- Cité de la musique invited Tapiola Choir to Paris and the
choir gave a concert there in November. Kari Ala-Pöllänen and
the choir had there a workshop, too, and like the concert, it
gained much success.
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2000
Tapiola Choir performed at the EXPO 2000 in Hannover, Germany, on
September 20.-21. The main concert took place at the Concert Hall
of the EXPO site, on Wednesday, September 21. From Germany the
choir continued to France and gave concerts in the region of
Poitou-Charentes. A master class and workshop session for choir
conductors was also held on September 23.-29. in Saintes,
featuring conductor Kari Ala-Pöllänen as the main lecturer.
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1999
Tapiola Choir represented Europe in the first Songbridge 2000
event in Rotterdam in July 1999. Songbridge 2000 was a new
international project between children's and youth choirs and
contemporary composers. The aim was to rise globally the level
and respect of the new instrument, children's and youth choir.
Invited choirs from different parts of the world created a new
composition with close cooperation with a composer from their own
country. The new works were performed at Songbridge 2000 gala
concerts.
The Songbridge 2000 events took place in three places: the first
one in Rotterdam July 1999, as part of the fifth IFCM World
Symposium on Choral Music. The second event took place in Caracas
April 2000, as part of America Cantat and the third in Nevers
July 2000, as part of Europa Cantat. The idea of Songbridge 2000
was developed by Professor Erkki Pohjola, who also acts as the
artistic director of the project.
The three invited choirs and composers for the first Songbridge
2000 in Rotterdam were the following:
Tapiola Choir from Finland, conducted by Kari Ala-Pöllänen,
composer Olli Kortekangas Gondwana Voices from Australia
conducted by Lyn Williams, composer Stephen Leek Coro de Niños y
Jóvenes Ars Nova from Argentina, conducted by Ana B.F.de
Briones, composer Eduardo Alonso-Crespo
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1998
In January Tapiola Choir started a new,
pioneering choral exchange programme with the Sydney Children's
Choir and Gondwana Voices (Australian National Children's Choir).
Conductor Kari Ala-Pöllänen and two choristers from Tapiola
Choir visited Australia for three weeks, taking part in Gondwana
Voices choral event in Sydney. Reciprocally, conductor Lyn
Williams and two choristers from Sydney Children's Choir visited
Tapiola in May. The exchange has turned out to be very inspiring
and exciting. Both choirs have learnt new ideas, methods and
music. It also has been great fun! The cooperation continued and
the choirs met in Rotterdam in July 99, at Songbridge 2000 event.
In the summer the choir toured in Germany.
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1997
Tapiola Choir and Nokia signed an agreement on mutual
cooperation. The Choir got a new manager, Ms.Heli Lampi.
In the summer Tapiola Choir toured in Canada and USA. In
connection with Finland's 80th anniversary of Independence the
choir gave concerts in Brussels, Namur, Den Haag, Düsseldorf and
Köln. Sacred songs -cd came out.
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1996
The 1996 UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of the Performing Arts
has been awarded to TAPIOLA CHOIR at the 4th World Symposium on
Choral Music, held in Sydney, from 8 to 14 August 1996. "The
Prize is ment to reward creative work by a choir whose activity
has contributed to enrich and to develop music and has fostered
peace, understanding between peoples, international co-operation
as well as other aims proclaimed by the Charter of the United
Nations and the Founding Act of UNESCO", told the president
of the jury, famous Swiss conductor Willi Gohl. The international
jury selected this choir from among 26 professional and amateur
choirs from all continents.
"TAPIOLA CHOIR excels in virtuosity. It carries out very
inspiring work in music education and is to be commended for its
commitment to traditional and contemporary music", said Mr.
Gohl.
UNESCO established the Prize for the Performing Arts in 1991
thanks to a generous donation by Japanese artist Kaiji
Higashiyama. The prize of 20.000 US dollars is awarded every two
years to performing arts groups and especially young artists to
reward outstanding creative achievements and encourage their
further development as artists. Tapiola Choir is the first
performing group in the line of music to receive this prize.
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