Estonian Boy Choirs


Figure 1.--This Estonian choir wears red tuxedos with black trim and balcl long pants.

HBC has little information about the boy chour tradition in the small Baltic country of Estonia. The language is part of the west Finnish group of the Ural-Altaic languages. This is significant as diring the Soviet era, the Estonians could listen to Finnish braodcasts, given them a window to the west not available to other Eastern Europeans. Most Estonmians are Lutherans, however, the many Russians who settled in Estonia are Greek Orthadox Christians. The mixed religious background affected the boy choral tradition. The one choir known to the authors is of very recent origin, formed as the Soviet grip pn Estonia was loosening.

Background

HBC has little information about the boy choir tradition in the small Baltic country of Estonia. The language is part of the west Finnish group of the Ural-Altaic languages. This is significant as during the Soviet era (1940-1991), the Estonians could listen to Finnish braodcasts, given them a window to the west not available to other eastern Europeans.

Most Estonmians are Lutherans, however, the many Russians who settled in Estonia are Greek Orthadox Christians. The mixed religious background affected the boy choral tradition. Protestant churches throughout Scandanavia have sponsored boy choirs. HBC knows of noe Orthadox boy choirs.

Tallin Boys Choir

HBC knows of only one boy choir in Estonia, the Tallin's Boys Choir. The concert choir is a classical mixed choir (soprano, alto, tenor, base) of boys, aged 10-15 years, and young men aged 16-26 years. Rehearsals take place three times a week-once at St. Nicholas' Church and twice at Tallinn School No 21, which is also the base school of the choir. Concert choir consists of 35 to 60 singers, depending on the circumstances. Sight reading is compulsory and most of the singers also play some music instrument. There are about 200 boys participating in the choir. Next to CONCERT CHOIR there are two introductory choirs--PRIMO and SECUNDO.

Music

Repertoire of Tallinn Boys Choir reaches from Gregorian chant to polyphonic choral literature, from Estonian music to spirituals. The choir has performed many masterpieces with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.

History

Tallinn Boys Choir's conductor and artistic leader Lydia Rahula founded the choir in September 1988. It would have been difficult to organize a boys choir, associated as it is with with religious music, during the Soviet era. Rahukla formed her choir as the Soviet hold on Estonia was beginning to weaken.

Performances

The Tallinn Boys Choir has attended four international choral competitions and high level of the choir has been recognized there:

* 1992 II place at the Ninth International Schubert Choral Competition, the prize for the best interpretation of a composition of Schubert

* 1993 I place and Grand Prix at the International Choral Competition "Tampereen Sävel", the conductor premium to Lydia Rahula

* 1994 III place at the International Choir Festival Tallinn '94, in mixed choirs' category

* 1998 Tallinn - I place at men-and boys choirs' competition in A-category

The Tallinn Boys Choir has performed almost in all the biggest towns in Estonia. The most extraordinary performances have been in one of the prisons in Estonia, on the cost of Mississippi, at Gröningen Channel and Tokyo Television. Since the choir is internationally recognized, the choir has performed in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Hungary, > Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, USA, Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Where-ever the concert takes place, the choir always gets warm welcome, positive critique, and invitation to come back.






Christopher Wagner





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Created: December 26, 1999
Last updated: October 26, 2000