The Male Choir Sirkat was founded in Jyväskylä in the year 1899. It was founded by P. J. Hannikainen, a lector of local teachers' training collage, and he was also its first conductor. Originally "The Fourfold Male Quartet" grew little by little to a choir consisting over 50 singers.
Throughout its history Sirkat has been the leading classical male choir in Middle Finland, which has left its constant mark to the cultural life of Jyväskylä and the whole region. Sirkat was also one of the founders of the Finnish Male Choir Union, which has nominated it as the 'Male choir of the year'. Sirkat has been giving concerts in many occations in Finland and abroad, also in radio and television aswell. The choir has produced several recordings.
The choir gives every year many concerts in Finland. Abroad we have given concerts in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain and in the People's Republic of China, where we were the first western choir visitor after the revolution. Our choir has taken part in the international Béla Bartók choir competition in Debrecen in 1996 and 2002. At both times we were the best male choir. Sirkat has been Finland's representative in a concert in Luzern, which was organised by the European Choir Union.
In the first international Leevi Madetoja male choir competition in Turku 1989 we were the best choir in the national series. In the third international Leevi Madetoja male choir competition in 2000 Sirkat won the whole international series and our conductor Juha Holma was rewarded as the best conductor of the competition.
During the years 1994-2004 our choir was led by Juha Holma, who nowadays is the artistic manager of the Finnish Male Choir Union. Like his predecessors he also has composed a lot of new music to our choir. Under his youthful and skillful guidance we have found ourselves to new interesing paths in music. Of which we will like to mention the productions in which theatrical and musical expressions were combined in new ways. One of them was based in Carl Michael Bellman's songs and another in the Finnish sauna culture.
Some of the main efforts during last years have been a CD of Christmas music of Jyväskylä region with soprano Mari Palo, singing again Kullervo by Sibelius with Jyväskylän Sinfonia and the double concert with The Chamber choir of Helsinki University Music Company consisting songs by the Canadian modernist Murray R. Schafer (the composer himself was our guest of honour).
In summer 2003 we travelled to Hamina in order fo take part to 80 years jubilee of Sulasol, The Finnish Amateur Musicians' Association. In spring 2004 we had our 105 years celebration with traditional ceremonies and in summer we organized a weekend on lake Päijänne, where we had an historic bridge concert. 150 years since our founder's birth made us to sing in several occations, even the fourfold male quartet sang again in Nurmes 9.12.2004 (which is Hannikainen's brith town).
At this moment our conductor is Nikke Isomöttönen.
The Sirkka wine only gets better throughout the years !
