ITL Mixed Choir
ITL mixed choir was founded on 25 August 2010 and operates under the name ITL Segakoor (ITL Mixed Choir NGO). The members of the choir mainly include people from the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL) companies who are interested in singing and music, but the choir also welcomes other people with an interest in singing.
The choir members can participate in singing rehearsals and camps, voice instruction, note study and choral singing, and avail of vocal self-improvement opportunities led by professional conductors. The size of the mixed choir is currently 50 singers.
The chief conductor of the mixed choir is Paul Purga. The young choir conductor’s scholarship competition was won by Rasmus Laks. Rasmus has continued to contribute his youthful thinking and positive energy to the choir, and he supports the development of the choir in every way possible. For the last few years, Karin Salumäe has been training the voices of the choir as the vocal trainer. Choreographer Saima Kallionsivu and dance pedagogue Märt Agu have helped the mixed choir with choreography and dance steps.
The first performance of the mixed choir took place at the From Vision to Solution innovation conference in October 2010. To date, the choir has given public, usually charitable, performances at the Rakvere Punk Song Festival and Summer Song Festival, Nõva Etno Jam, Keila churches and culture centre, Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, Hopner House and cafés, IT College opening ceremony, ITL and other company events as well as at other festive occasions, harbours, airports, retirement homes and other public places.
The repertoire of the ITL mixed choir includes choir singing classics such as Läte, Hermann, Tormis, as well as Ellington and Gershwin, etc., but they also find time for modern composers, including Ehala, Tüür, Sisask, Uusberg and many others.
If you are interested in the activities or future plans of the choir, don’t hesitate to contact us at segakoor@itl.ee.
In February 2023 the ITL Segakoor recorded the song “Isamaale” („To Fatherland“) written by composer Eino Tamberg to the words of an Estonian famous poet Juhan Liiv and presented the video on the Independence day of the Republic of Estonia.
After several corona years the choir participated in the international music festival in Thessaloniki, Greece in May. The lively and brilliant perfomance at the final concert resulted in special audience award. At the beginning of June the choir gave an emotional and cheerful/spirited concert “Muuvikal” together with the EKA Chamber Choir.
In June 2022 the ITL Mixed Choir performed a brand new musical “Maailma parima laulukoor“ („The World’s Best Choir”) twice at the Kaja Culture Centre. The third performance was dedicated to the celebration of ITL’s 20th and ITL Segakoor’s 10th anniversaries, which had been postponed due to the Covid pandemic. At the beginning of June, the choir presented its new cheerful song video of composer Olav Ehala’s „Laul inimlikkusest“ (“Song of Humanity”). At the beginning of December there was a successful Estonian premiere of Martin Palmer’s Mass “Misa a Buenos Aires” at the Estonian Methodist Church in Tallinn. ITL Segakoor was accompanied by the singers of the project orchestra “Ventum”, soloist Maarja Purga, bandoneon virtuoso Kaspar Uljas, mixed choir „Vanalinna Segakoor“ and chamber choir “Kuule” (Finland). As part of the same concert, Urmas Sisask’s „Näärioratoorium“ (“Nääri oratorio”) was also performed together
In 2021, the ITL Mixed Choir plans to come on stage with a unique news musical. If the Covid pandemic allows, Christmas performances and a performance of J. Rutter’s Mass “The Children” with Latvian, Finnish and Estonian friendship choirs are planned.
In 2020, the ITL Mixed Choir celebrated its 10th birthday and the choir planned a number of nice performances and events, but lots of them where cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
Choire attended at film “Kratt” and a jubilee concert with the lighting ceremony of “Night of Ancient Lights” on Prangli Island on August 29. Due to the Covid pandemic, the choir was forced to practice virtually in the Zoom environment, and Christmas performances were therefore canceled.
In 2019 the choir participated in two rounds of auditions successfully in the mixed choirs categorie and was selected to perform in the XXVII Song Celebration entitled “My Fatherland is My Love” on 6-7th of July – the 150 Years of Song, the Jubilee Year of Estonian Song and Dance celebration.
There were many other exciting in the past year: the performance of J. Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” in June at the Alexela Concert Hall with the Berkeley Community Chorus (USA), Pärnu City Orchestra and TTU Chamber Choir at the Alexela Concert Hall, participating in the new movie “Krat”, sending Admiral Bellingshausen to Antarctica, performing at the Song Festival „Vaba rahva laul“ in Pärnu in August and at the opening of the Ülemiste parking garage in December. At the end of the year in December, free Christmas concerts were given in the Alppila Church in Helisinki (Finland) with the mixed choir “Siller” and on the 4th of Advent in St. Jacob’s Church of EELK Viimsi with the women’s choir “Meretule” from Suurupi.
In January 2018, the choir, together with the Finnish Cantica choir, gave an Epiphany concert at the Nurmijärvi Church in Finland. In April, the choir plans to take part in the Estonian Chamber Choir Festival in Tartu, the Vaba Rahva Laul concert in Paide in August. In September, the choir biggest challenge of the year was participation in the International Choir Festival and Competition on the island of Corfu, in Greece and got awarded with silver certificate in folklore category.
In May 2017, together with Cantica mixed choir from Finland, the mixed choir performed at a free spring concert at EELC St Jacob’s Church in Viimsi, and at the Museum of Coastal Folk in Viimsi. In August, the choir performed with Kaire Vilgats at Kaarma Night Song Festival (see image gallery in the Saarte Hääl web edition). In September, the mixed choir participated in yet another international choir festival workshop, ON STAGE in Lisbon 2017, in Portugal. During the festival, the choir performed alone and with other festival participants from other countries in three different grand churches in Lisbon Old Town, and it also performed short concerts in Lisbon city centre. The renowned choreographer Märt Agu helped the choir with choreography for the national pieces by Veljo Tormis for the festival in Portugal.
In April 2016, the choir gave a free public performance at EELC St Jacob’s Church in Viimsi with Noodimurdjad female choir. In May, the choir participated in the prestigious International Choir Competition and Festival Bad Ischl, in Austria. The choir competed in the mixed choir and folklore categories, and the performance was awarded a high-ranking silver diploma in both categories.
On 20 August, the ITL mixed choir participated with other choirs from all over Estonia in the fifth Vaba Rahva Laul grand patriotic concert at Keila Song Festival Grounds, which was dedicated to Estonia’s 25th Day of Restoration of Independence. During the Christmas month, the choir performed their Christmas programme in Sutlepa chapel in the Estonian Open Air Museum.
In 2015, the choir performed at the Pop Choir Festival in Tartu, III Punk Song Festival in Rakvere and IT College opening ceremony. In August, the choir celebrated its first jubilee – 5th birthday – by performing at the Night of Ancient Bonfires at Viimsi Open Air Museum, which was also reported in the web version of the daily newspaper Postimees. At the end of the year, on 19 December, the choir gave a free public Christmas concert at EELC St Jacob’s Church in Viimsi with the Tallinn Old Town Mixed Choir.
In the summer of 2014, the mixed choir participated in the XXVI Song Festival “Touched by Time. The Time to Touch” held at Tallinn Song Festival Grounds and included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, having previously successfully completed the challenging evaluation performances. The cyclists among the choir members also participated in carrying the ceremonial song and dance festival fire to the main festival ground. In autumn, the mixed choir participated in the prestigious choir festival and competition Canta al mar 2014, in Calella, Spain. The choir competed in the jazz category and the performance was awarded the silver diploma. The choir also traditionally gives Christmas concerts – in December 2014, they held free, public and charitable concerts at Keila Church and in Tallinn Hopner House.
In spring 2013, the ITL mixed choir successfully participated in the Venezia in Musica international choir festival and competition in Italy in the mixed choir and folklore categories, and it was awarded the gold diploma in both categories. With this result, the choir secured an automatic right to participate in the World Choir Games for the next five years.