| Biography | The Polytech Choir (Finnish: Polyteknikkojen Kuoro; PK) is an academic male choir, established in 1900, that performs regularly in Finland and abroad. 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. 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 the Romantic era to 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 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. The choir's most recent first performances have included works from the Finnish composers Riikka Talvitie, Olli Kortekangas, Mikko Sidoroff, Markku Klami, Tiina Myllärinen, Jouni Kaipainen, Maija Hynninen, Lotta Wennäkoski, and a work by the jazz pianist and composer Iiro Rantala. |