Tampere Vocal Music Festival champions value-based singing

Over five days, the Tampere Vocal Music Festival brought singers in 82 choirs and vocal ensembles to the city. This year’s theme at the Festival was making a difference with your voice and singing your values.

The programme curated by Artistic Director Merzi Rajala included performances focusing on ecocide law, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the recent scandal in Finland involving the destruction of a colony of freshwater pearl mussels.

“I am grateful to have been able to make a contribution to this wonderful event, as part of the Finnish choral scene. I hope that I have managed to make people think about the role of art in society and about how you can make a difference with your voice. I also hope to have been able to create a space and to foster appreciation for the wide range of singing out there. I would be fortunate if some of my views on societal influence through the arts and on public pedagogy were to be retained at the Festival going forward,” says Merzi Rajala of her tenure as Artistic Director.

The Chorus Review at the Festival culminated in the Chorus Review Gala on Sunday, where merit awards were given out. The Juventus choir from Latvia (pictured) was awarded the Grand Prix and EUR 1,500. Three choirs received merit awards of EUR 1,000 and six choirs of EUR 750 each. The Matti Hyökki Choir Conductor Prize (EUR 1,000) was awarded to Viena Kangas, and the new Special Prize of the Choral Music Season Concerts was awarded to Vino Ensemble.

Kaija Viitasalo, chair of the jury, describes the Chorus Review:

“This year at the Chorus Review at the Tampere Vocal Music Festival, we heard 55 choirs over three days. In addition to Finnish choirs, there were choirs from Latvia, Norway, Germany, Czechia and the USA. The performances were of a generally high quality and presented a diverse range of choral music and the joy of singing for the audience to enjoy. The jury focused on providing each participating choir with constructive, positive and inspiring feedback on their performance.”

The other members of the jury were Jennifer Moir (Canada/Finland), Jānis Ozols (Latvia), Jan Schumacher (Germany) and Jani Sivén (Finland).

The Chorus Review Gala was recorded by the Finnish Broadcasting Company and will be broadcast on Yle Radio 1 on Wednesday 18 June at 19.02.

In the Contest for Vocal Ensembles, which was held on Wednesday and Thursday, the Grand Prix was awarded to NEÅ from Finland. This is the first time since 2003 that a Finnish ensemble has won the Contest. On Saturday, an audience hundreds strong joined in the Grand Anniversary Sing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tampere Vocal Music Festival; this also included the announcement of the Choral Disc of the Year 2024, selected by a four-member expert panel from the Finnish Choir Conductors Association, the Finnish Broadcasting Company and Sulasol: Echoes of Longing by the Exaudio upper-voices choir conducted by Hanna Kronqvist.

The Tampere Vocal Music Festival will next be held on 9–13 June 2027. Merzi Rajala is succeeded as Artistic Director by Marjukka Riihimäki, one of the most successful and distinguished choir conductors in Finland.

AWARDS
EUR 1,500 and the Grand Prix
Juventus (Riga, Latvia)

EUR 1,000
Cantamus (Ames, Iowa, USA)
Musta lammas (Helsinki)
Schola Cantorum (Oslo, Norway)
Vino Ensemble (Helsinki)

EUR 750
Amnis Ensemble (Vantaa)
Florakören (Turku)
Kamarikuoro Värinä (Helsinki)
Madetojan musiikkilukion tyttökuoro (Oulu)
Soma Ensemble (Oulu)
Tretti Karar (Helsinki)
Matti Hyökki Choir Conductor Prize (EUR 1,000)
Viena Kangas
Special Prize of the Choral Music Season Concerts (a concert in the series in 2026)
Vino Ensemble