Conductors
The Conductor and Musical Director of TAM, Peeter Perens (b. 1971) has graduated from the Estonian Music Academy in both choral conducting (under the supervision of K. Areng) and singing (under the supervision of prof. M. Palm and prof. V. Noreika). He is the conductor of The Academic Male Choir of TUT since 2003, The Chamber Choir of TUT and Chamber Choir of the Bank of Estonia. He also works as a concertmaster in theatre “Estonia”, is a member of board of the Estonian Choral Association and is also in charge of the choral conducting department in Tallinn Music School named after G. Ots. In 2001 he participated in the Europa Cantata Contest for Young Choral Conductors (Budapest, 2001) and won Special Prize. He is also the winner of the Young Conductor of the Year prize from 2005, which is given out by the Estonian Choral Association.
With the coming of Peeter, the choir has regained much of its needed youthfulness. This is also reflected in the choir's repertoire, where Peeter's own fresh arrangements have been added. Peeter has also tried to inspire each man to take responsibility for his part. Rehearsals have become more intensive, and the increased use of voice placing has lead to faster learning of new songs. In addition, the choir has begun to sing from memory, something that had nearly disappeared from the choir's talents.
Siim Selis (b. 1973) joined TAM as Accompanist and Conductor in 1992. He graduated from the Estonian Music Academy in 1996, having studied in the piano class of prof. V. Roots. Siim has studied choir conducting under the supervision of J. Rent and I. Tõnisson. In 1999 he got his Master’s Degree from the Estonian Music Academy as an Accompanist in assistant prof. H. Kapten's class.
Siim also works in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre as a concertmaster. He has had many successful projects with numerous singers, choirs and orchestras from Estonia and has performed outstandingly as a pianist and conductor abroad — in Finland, Germany, Canada and New Zealand to name a few. Siim works closely with the Estonian National Male Choir and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.
TAM would certainly not be what it is without Siim Selis — a magnificent pianist and a brilliant musician. Peeter Perens does not like the term “Assistant Conductor” with respect to Siim, saying it does not describe Siim’s role the least. As Peeter puts it: “Siim is the sort of man who does a whole lot, but does not want to be in the spotlight.”
From History
The initiator behind the present TAM was Arvo Ratassepp (1926-1986). A master of organization and public relations, he also found Arno Kallikorm (1915-1992), who was at that time still a student at the Tallinn Conservatoire and was willing to direct the choir. On January 5, 1947, TAM held its first anniversary concert at the Estonia Concert Hall, with 74 men on stage.
In the autumn of 1958 Arno Kallikorm gave the choir its motto, composed by himself to the poem "Song" by K. E. Sööt. From that time on, all concerts and formal events begin with the motto.
1962 turned out to be a very dramatic year for the choir. On March 6 the choir had its 16th anniversary concert at the Estonia Concert Hall. As usual the audience requested an encore, and the choir usually chose aggressively. This time Kallikorm chose three patriotic songs. After the concert, TPI received a letter instructing them to take action against Kallikorm. Rector Agu Aarna, who was very friendly toward the choir, was under intense pressure. There was a heated debate within the choir as to whether the group should continue or disband in protest. At the end, a small majority voted to continue, but the man who directed the choir for 16 years was forced to leave.
On March 28, Harald Uibo joined the choir as the new conductor. Under Uibo singers were forced to train their ears and improve their intonation. Additionally, he brought significantly more romantic songs into the repertoire. His rehearsals were always intense. He was always joyful and humorous. Although he was slightly older than the singers, he took part in all of the choir's events, down to bicycle camping trips. He also brought on assistant conductor Ants Üleoja.
In 1971 Ants Üleoja took over as TAM's head conductor. He brought with him a lot of new energy and humour, but also demands. In addition to the typical repertoire, he took on Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana", which was performed with the TU Academic Female Choir and the Estonian Television and Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1974. The choir's assistant conductor was Anne Dorbek, whose feminine charms were a part of TAM's masculinity for many years. Ants Üleoja also brought future head conductor Jüri Rent to the choir.
In 1983 Ants Üleoja handed his head conductor title over to Jüri Rent, but stayed on for two more years as assistant (as Jüri was before). The transition was smooth enough, and Jüri remained TAM's head conductor for nearly twenty years — longer than anyone else in TAM's history. The peak achievement in Jüri Rent's time was certainly winning the Schubert Male Choir Competition in Austria in 1988. TAM shared the honour with the renowned male choir Chorus Viennensis.
After nearly two decades in front of TAM, Jüri Rent gave over his position in 2003 to Peeter Perens, who became the 5th head conductor in TAM's 60-year history. Immediately after taking over, he led the choir through the Estonian Male Choirs' Association competition and the international choir competition Tallinn 2003, where TAM received the 3rd and 2nd place, respectively.