The Polytech Choir

The Polytech Choir (Finnish: Polyteknikkojen Kuoro; PK) is an academic male choir established in 1900. 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.[1]

The Polytech Choir and artistic director Saara Aittakumpu in 2017

PK's a cappella repertoire consists mainly of classical music, ranging from Renaissance madrigals to the Romantic era and 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 2015, the choir made its debut at the BBC Proms, performing Sibelius' Kullervo with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo. 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, and performed Finnish premieres of works by Luciano Berio and Toru Takemitsu.