With this beautiful art form, specifically choir music, Tartu Boys’ Choir has been doing it for 59 years, proudly wearing the title of being one of the oldest boys’ choirs in Estonia. Taking an example from boys’ school choirs in England that have been active for 80 years, Tartu Boys’ Choir embraces childish sincerity, youthful charm, musical maturity and virtuosity.

The choir performs classical music, romantic pieces, rythmic contemporary music and also pop and gospel music, meanwhile highly valuing Estonian composers.

This season, the collaboration between Tartu Boys’ Choir and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir will continue, leading singers on the path of professional choir culture with master courses, open lessons, meetings and going to concerts. Long-term collaboration with theatre Vanemuine will also be continuing with the choir boys participating in Bizet’s opera “Carmen”. For the first time ever, we will be on the same stage with artists nublu and NÕEP in November 2019 and with Heigo Rosin and his students from H. Elleri music school in May 2020.As per tradition, the choir will be taking part in a boys’ choir contest held at Tartu in April 2020. It will be held in Tubin’s hall and organized by the Estonian Mens’ Song Association. In 2019 Tartu Boys’ Choir has had positive attention:

– Undel Kokk – Bronze footprints on the Tartu Teerajajate Alley
– Annelii Traks – Laureate of the Tartu Cultural Endowment scholarship of Tartu Singing and Dancing Festival
                            – Laureate of the Uno Järvela scholarship of the Estonian National Culture Foundation
– Sander Tamm – Laureate of the teacher scholarship of Tartu Education Department
– Katrin Nuume – Laureate of the teacher scholarship of Tartu Education Department
– Martin Käspri – Laureate of the Eino Tamberg scholarship of the Estonian National Culture Foundation

By Tartu Boys’ Choir it is possible to be a part of a diverse program. Estonian choir classics show emotion, power and fragility to every member in the crowd. Songs from composers as Veljo Tormis, Pärt Uusberg, Cyrillus Kreek, Tõnu Kõrvits and Arvo Pärt will paint pictures of nature, captivating and alluring. There is something distinctively Estonian about it:

Reflection of northern nature: the sadness of cloudy weather, little sunlight peeking through the branches of a bare tree, using folk melodies directly or indirectly. In a northern country, where population is sparse, untouched nature is in abundance and ties between nature and the people are strong, the bond between music and nature is clearly perceptible.

Our program includes songs, that have been sung by 20 000 people through times, that fill concert halls, … award ceremonies and receptions but gives goosebumps during any gathering. Songs like “Mu isamaa on minu arm”, “ Ta lendab mesipuu poole”, “Üksi pole keegi”, “Palve”, “Laul Põhjamaast”, “Ei saa mitte vaiki olla” combined with Tartu Boys’ Choir singers’ life and music cognition greet the crowd with contrast, beauty and pain.

Who doesn’t know legendary children’s songs, like “O on ümmargune, K on kandiline”, “Me pole enam väikesed”, “Jorupill Jonn”, “Tige Tikker”. These and many more songs affect adults and children of all age groups. These melodies are by such authors as Raimond Lätte, Priit Pajusaar, Anne Ermast, Piret-Rips Laul, Kadri Hunt, Olav Ehala. Songs by these composers are characterized by musical humour and surprising harmonies.

Over 10 years of collaboration with theatre Vanemuine has added operas “Tosca”, “Boheem”, “Werther”, “Carmen”, musicals “Gypsy”, “Helisev Muusika”, “Evita”, “Motetid”, “Kaval-Ants ja Vanapagan” and “Mary Poppins” to the Tartu Boys’ Choir  portfolio. Pieces like “I dreamed a dream” from Evita, “Tõuseb päike, loojub päike” from Fiddler on the Roof, “Lastelaul” from Lotte, “Greased lightning” from Grease invite the audience on a trip to visit the history of stage music.

SInce the addition of sound in films, music has developed to be a vital part in them. In the film industry, every small situation or big emotion is emphasized by a sound effect or melody, whether it’s the hero or the villain. The same way operas and operettas use music to change the mood and atmosphere, films use music to show anxiety, fear, nobility, romance or love. A program made up with songs that do exactly this, is what we want to give to the audience on our 2019/2020 season concerts. There will be songs from Estonian films, but also songs from the film classics. We will be visited by Anna and Elsa from Frozen, Shrek, Lion King, Nukitsamees and Pätu.

Adding to the previous and Christmas songs, we like Eric Clapton’s, Leonard Cohen’s, Hans Zimmer’s, Josh Groban’s, Michael Jackson’s and many more artists and composers scores, including Estonian bands and artists such as Traffic, Dagö, Curly Strings, Daniel Levi, Greip and Ruja.

Our professional sound and performances, that have been polished down to the finest detail, have opened many conferences and decorated different events. Tartu Boys’ Choir, wearer of Rahvakollektiiv title in 1974, was a highly awaited guest on most stages. Success has taken the choir to Bulgaria, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and many more European countries. During the 2019/2020 season, the choir is getting ready for a trip to Georgia, where they will participate in the X Tbilisi International choir festival.

In the near future, the choir is awaited on stage in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and China.