Choir conductor Professor Erkki Pohjola dies at 78

Music teacher was founder of the renowned Tapiola Choir and conducted it for 30 years

Erkki Pohjola (1931–2009)

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Choirmaster and choral conductor Professor Erkki Pohjola died early on Monday morning at the Jorvi Hospital in Espoo.
      Pohjola was 78. He was born in Ylistaro on March 4th, 1931.
      In Finland, Pohjola’s name was almost synonymous with the Tapiola Choir, which he established in 1963, when he took up a position as the Tapiola co-educational school music teacher in Espoo.
      At first Pohjola’s intention was just to set up an ordinary school choir, but soon he got interested in the idea of a children's choir as an artistic instrument.
      It was easy to find musically-gifted singers from the youthful Tapiola district with a strong regional spirit. Numerous singers, composers, pianists, violinists, and poets have sprung forth from the ranks of the Tapiola Choir.
     
The standard of the Tapiola Choir rose quickly and the choir soon became a name and even a concept also on the international choral scene. Under Pohjola’s direction, the choir carried out 50 foreign tours and produced nearly 20 recordings.
     
The choir enjoyed enormous success everywhere, and the listeners were taken by its fresh, clean, natural, vividly lucid sound that was often compared to the light summer nights of the North, the crystal clear waters, and the fresh forest air.
      In his 1992 Tapiola Sound book, Pohjola revealed the keys to his success: he had the ability to find a common language with the children and the young adults. In this, the combination of a smiley and humorous disposition with efficiency and drive played a pivotal role.
      “At the focal point are the youngsters’ own resources and ambitions that have to be drawn out”, Pohjola stated.
      In Pohjola’s view children had their own language and power of expression, and he was also convinced that “some things are best expressed when interpreted by children”.
     
In the opinion of former choir members, “Pale’s” secret was his “unconditional confidence in children”.
      He did not exhaust the young choir members with endless rehearsing and he also succeeded in creating within the choir a sense of reciprocal trust and responsibility.
      Such characteristics were invaluable, especially during the journeys abroad.
     
In the 1960s and 1970s Pohjola took part in the preparation of legislation based on which educational establishments specialising in music - as well as special music classes within ordinary schools - were set up comprehensively across the entire country.
      In the current decade Pohjola had expressed his grave concern over the diminishing classroom time dedicated to music education within the comprehensive school system.
     
Pohjola left his post as the Tapiola Choir director in 1994, after which he acted, among other things, as a visiting choir conductor and a member of the jury in international choral competitions.
      He was also the principal of the Espoo Music Institute in 1964-1988.
      In 1986 Pohjola set up the prestigious international choral festival Sympaatti for children’s and youth choirs.
      In recent years in particular the series of international Songbridge events that he had devised was close to Pohjola’s heart. The aim of the events is to bring together the world’s choirs and composers of high standard.


Links:
  Erkki Pohjola (Songbridge)
  Tapiola Choir

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