Choir Presentation (English)
The choir history began in 1983 when it was founded - and directed in its early years - by the maestro José de Felipe. From 2006 on, the director was Antonio Fauró and since 2011 Javier Corcuera is currently leading the choir. The formation debuted with a cappella works of religious and secular polyphony but thanks to the continuous work, the members’ musical desire and the demand for bigger performances, it soon incorporated into the repertoire great choral works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Mozart, Cherubini, Bach, Vivaldi, Orff, Beethoven, Mahler, Honegger, Handel or Haydn, as well as opera and zarzuela works.
Under the baton of the Spanish Luis Aguirre, Max Bragado, Plácido Domingo, Enrique García Asensio, Odón Alonso, Antonio Ros Marbá, García Navarro, Cristóbal Halffter, Josep Pons and others no less well known, such as Thomas Fulton, Ravil Martinov, Octav Calleya, Lazslo Heltay, Vladimir Spivakov, Cem Mansur or Maximiano Valdés, the Choir of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid has performed on the most important Spanish stages, with a regular presence at the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid. Renowned soloists such as Carlo Bergonzi, Leona Mitchell, Sharon Sweet, Christiane Oelze, Peter Rose, Iris Vermillion and many other Spanish musicians have accompanied the Choir on different occasions.
Abroad, the Choir has performed in Great Britain, Italy, Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, Istanbul and Aspendos in Turkey, disseminating Spanish music of all time periods.
In addition, the choir has received awards in national and international competitions, including Tolosa, Torrevieja, Madrid and Llangollen (Gales), among others.
Remarkable was its participation in the International Monetary Fund world meeting celebrations, with the baritone Carlos Álvarez, under the direction of Maestro García Asensio, as well as in the national tribute to Professor Severo Ochoa, under the direction of Maestro Odón Alonso. Both concerts were held at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid. Likewise, the recording of the complete score of the zarzuela “Luisa Fernanda” deserves a special mention, with Plácido Domingo and Juan Pons, among others, and under the direction of Maestro Antoni Ros Marbá.
The pandemic imposed a forced interruption in the performances and in-person rehearsals, which however continued on line. The Choir's first performance after the break was a tribute to the members of the UPM who died from the virus, including two choristers, Luis Ortega and Paco Casado. The concert Tribute to the Covid Victims of the UPM took place on November 15, 2021 at the Auditorio Nacional, with Fauré's Requiem and the 8th Symphony in B minor Unfinished D.759 by Schubert, with the Orquesta Filarmónica de España, the UPM Choir and the soloists Sonia de Munck, soprano, and Fernando Campero, baritone, all of them conducted by Javier Corcuera.
At Christmas 2021 the Choir performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, one of the most popular works by the German composer. Javier Corcuera conducted on December 12 at the Auditorio Nacional the baroque orchestra La Spagna, the Choir of the Universidad Politécnica of Madrid and the soloists Arantza Ezenarro, soprano; Marina Pardo, mezzo-soprano; Francisco Díaz, tenor and Víctor Cruz, baritone.
On the occasion of the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Univerisidad Politécnica of Madrid, the National Auditorium of Madrid hosted an extraordinary concert. In the first part, Matteo Giuliani performed Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. In the second part, the Orquesta Snfónica UPM - with Alejandro Cantalapiedra as conductor - and the UPM Choir, with Javier Corcuera as director, performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, with soloists Cristina Teijeiro, soprano; Marta de Andrés, mezzo-soprano; Igor Peral, tenor and Alberto Camón, bass.