Uku Joller

b. June 22, 1963 Tallinn

Bass-baritone Uku Joller’s wide repertoire comprises music from Early Baroque to present day, but he has received recognition above all as an Early and Baroque music performer – being one of the most valued singer of that field in Estonia. He is also demanded vocal pedagogue.

Joller has graduated from Tallinn State Conservatoire with Professors Mati Palm and Ivo Kuusk in 1989. He has participated in the mastercourses of The Hilliard Ensemble in England, bel canto summer courses of Sibelius Academy in Finland, Baroque singing mastercourses of Harry van der Kamp in Kangasniemi (Finland) and summer courses of Peter Berne during the Savonlinna Opera Festival (Finland).

He was a singer of the State Academic Theatre Estonia opera chorus in 1981–1989 and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir in 1989–1993. Since 1994, he works as a vocal coache in Estonian Philarmonic Chamber Choir as well as in the Estonian National Male Choir. He is also lecturer of Voice for Choral Conductors and Music Teachers Section at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre since 1996. From 2005 to 2007, Joller worked at the Tallinn Georg Ots Music School.

Joller has performed vocal-symphonic music and collaborated with various ensembles, also participated in different opera productions. His wide repertoire consists of solo parts in numerous vocal-symphonic works, such as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass B-minor, St. Matthew and St. John Passions, Christmas Oratorio, Magnificat, several masses and solo cantatas, Georg Friedrich Händel’s Messiah, Judas Maccabaeus, Saul, Israel in Egypt, Joshua, Theodora and Jephtha, Joseph Haydn’s Harmony Mass, St. Nicholas Mass, Stabat Mater and The Seasons, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiems, Gioacchino Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Arvo Pärt’s Passio, Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Ante finem saeculi etc. He has also participated in the premieres of contemporary works by Mart Siimer, Toomas Trass and Timo Steiner (cantata Fugueblack).

Joller’s repertoire includes also opera roles, such as Figaro (Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, State Academic Theatre Estonia), Don Magnifico (Rossini La Cenerentola, Savonlinna Opera Festival, Finland), Aeneas (Henry Purcell Dido and Aeneas, concert performance in 1996), Lisander (Johann Valentin Meder Resolute Argenia, concert performance in 1999), Ferryman (Benjamin Britten The Curlew River, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir project in 2004), Enrico (Haydn L’isola disabitata, Nargen Opera production in 2004), Rocco (Ludwig van Beethoven Fidelio, Nargen Opera production in 2007), Artist (Veljo Tormis Swans Flight [„Luigelend”], concert performance in 2007, festival Estonian Music Days). He has also praticipated in Stravinsky’s stage work Renard (2007, NYYD Ensemble).

As a soloist, Joller has performed with Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Baroque Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Concerto Copenhagen, The Israel Camerata Jerusalem, The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania) and collaborated with conductors such as Neeme Järvi, Eri Klas, Jüri Alperten, Tõnu Kaljuste, Andres Mustonen, Olari Elts, Risto Joost, Nikolai Alexeev, Paul Hillier, Saulius Sondeckis, Howard Arman, Roland Böer, Kaspars Putninš, Edward Higginbottom, Steven Fox. He has appeared together with different ensembles, e. g. Väike rinG, Heinavanker, Tallinn Baroque, Vox Clamantis, Corelli Consort, NYYD Ensemble and Butterflies in the Sky (Latvia).

Concert tours both as a soloist and as a singer of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir have taken him to the most European countries, Israel, USA, Canada, Australia and Japan. He has participated in many festivals, e. g. Haapsalu Early Music Festival, Tallinn Baroque Music Festival, Rapla Church Music Festival, festival Glasperlenspiel, Kuressaare Chamber Music Days, Estonian Music Days festival, Viljandi Early Music Festival).

Joller sings solo parts of Vivaldi’s and Mozart’s sacred music on CDs „Antonio Vivaldi / Salmi a due cori” (Carus, 2002), „Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Litaniae” (Carus, 2000) and „Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Vesperae et Litania” (Carus, 2000) and performs together with ensemble Tallinn Baroque on CD „Music in Tallinn Under Swedish Rule”.

© EMIC 2008

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