Alo Ritsing

b. November 4, 1936 Tartu
Member of the Estonian Composers' Union since 1981

Choral conductor, composer and pedagogue Alo Ritsing is one of the most fruitful choral music composer, legendary conductor of Estonian song celebrations and active organiser of Tartu music life.

Alo Ritsing has graduated from the Tartu Music School in choral conducting under Richard Ritsing (1963) and singing in Alma Kurtna’s class (1966), Tartu State University in bibliography 81960) and Tallinn State Conservatory in choral conducting as a student of Gustav Ernesaks (1969).

Ritsing has worked in Tartu Central Library as a senior bibliographer (1960–1963), as a pedagogue in Tartu Children’s Music School (1963–1966), Heino Eller Tartu Music School (from 1966), Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (from 2000) and University of Tartu (1990–2000).

Ritsing has been a conductor of Tartu Academic Male Choir since 1963, with choir he has won the first prize at eight international choral competition. He has conducted also mixed choir Vanemuine (1968–1991), male choir Forestalia (since 1972) and Tartu Male Choir of Estonian Male Song Society (1990–2010). Starting from 1971, he has conducted at students’ song festivals, being therewith artistic director and chief conductor of XII and XV Gaudeamus. From 1985, he has conducted at the Estonian Song Celebrations, he was artistic director of XXIV song celebration and jubilee song celebration in Tartu in 2009.

Alo Ritsing’s oeuvre consists of about 400 choral songs, several of them has been in the repertoire of Estonian Song Celebrations (“Among these fields”, “Golden sky of the spring”, “Our strength”, “Ave Maria”, “Spring and pretty maidens”, “Santa Maria”, “For Estonian men”, “Spring in heart”, “Greeting”) and awarded at the composition competitions (“Bound”, “Love came”, “Three spring songs”, “Song of wrongness”, “Fable”, “Men”, “All the winds”, Missa brevis, “Greeting”, “Homesickness”, “My song”, “Spring is droning”, “Let me be a bird”). In 2021, Alo Ritsing won the main prize at the competition for Võro-language choral songs and arrangements. Ritsing’s songs has traditional treatment of harmony. There are melody on the foreground, complemented by rhythmically vivid accompanying texture and polyphonic images. His songs, written with incisive sensibility of text, are mainly lyrical in manner, on subject of nature. Also dramatics, impulsion and humorous moments can be found there. Theme of homeland and men carries the importance as well. Texts are chosen primarily from Estonian poets (Juhan Liiv, Ellen Niit, Hando Runnel, Viivi Luik, Henrik Visnapuu, Karl Eduard Sööt, Gustav Suits, Aira Kaal), including texts written by composer himself.

Alo Ritsing has received the honorary title of Estonian ESSR Merited Art Worker (1982) and ESSR People’s Artist (1988). He has deserved the Annual Prize of Endowment for Music (1996) and Endowment for National Culture (2005) of Culture Endowment of Estonia, the third class order of the White Star (2001), Gustav Ernesaks choral music grand scholarship (2001), University of Tartu Raefond Award (2001), honorary title of Tartu Culture Bearer (2005), Tartu county’s decoration Golden Oak Branch (2006) and Annual Prize of Culture Endowment of Tartu (2009). He has been selected the Conductor of the Year of Estonian Male Song Society (1991), honorary citizen of Tartu (2004) and the Conductor of the Year by the Estonian Choral Association (2013).

Ritsing’s choral songs have been published in 14 author compilations.

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Updated in November 2021

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