Akademiska Sångföreningen

The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki (, ), abbreviated AS, colloquially also known as (), is a Finland-Swedish academic male-voice choir in Helsinki, Finland. The choir was founded in 1838 by Fredrik Pacius and is the oldest extant choir in Finland. It is one of two male-voice choirs affiliated with the University of Helsinki, the other being the oldest extant Finnish-language choir, the YL Male Voice Choir (). Furthermore, it is one of two Swedish-language choirs affiliated with the University of Helsinki, the other being the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran ().

History Overview

Akademiska Sångföreningen was founded no later than during the spring term of 1838 by Fredrik Pacius (), music lecturer at the Imperial Alexander University of Finland (today the University of Helsinki) and sometimes known as "the father of Finnish music", originally under the name . The choir is thus the oldest extant one in Finland. The name was introduced no later than in 1846.

During the 19th century the choir became a symbol of national awakening in the emerging Finnish nation, at the time part of the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. On 13 May 1848, Pacius' composition , set to the poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, was performed for the first time by the choir, conducted by Pacius, during the students' celebration of the Flora Day. The composition was to become the national anthem of the Finnish nation.

In the 1850s and 60s, elite triple quartets from within the choir's ranks () participated in raising the funds necessary to build what is today known as the Old Student House in Helsinki (, ), by travelling the country performing. The Old Student House was finished in 1870 and is still the location for the choir's weekly rehearsals.

During the second half of the 20th century, the choir, directed by modernist Erik Bergman, came to carve out new paths for the male-voice choir tradition in Finland, proving that this genre of music was able to exhibit superior musical qualities as well. After Bergman, jazz musician Henrik Otto Donner carried on this tradition.

At end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 80s the choir was engaged in lighter types of music. The concerts in Finlandia Hall were decidedly successful and, when necessary, members of the choir would compose pieces of music themselves.

During the 20th century the choir had several prominent conductors: Bengt Carlson, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Erik Bergman, Henrik Otto Donner, Markus Westerlund, Eric-Olof Söderström, Tom Eklundh, John Schultz and Henrik Wikström all directed the choir. The most recent chief conductor Dr Kari Turunen, Doctor of Music, was appointed 2008 and stepped down in 2019 after the spring term, having been appointed artistic director of the Vancouver Chamber Choir, beginning the autumn term 2019. In June 2019, Elisa Huovinen, Master of Music, was appointed his successor as chief conductor of Akademiska Sångföreningen.

List of chief conductors

The chief conductor is the artistic director of the choir.

+ Chief conductors From (semester) To (semester) incl. Consecutive tenure Total tenure Name Notes yrs yrs Founder 4 yrs 4 yrs Temporary conductors from the autumn semester of 1850 to the spring semester of 1857 3 yrs 3 yrs 4 yrs 4 yrs 1 yr 1 yr 1 yr 1 yr Appointed Honorary Member in 1920 2 yrs 3 yrs yrs yrs yrs yrs 1 yr 3 yrs 1 yr 1 yr 3 yrs yrs 3 yrs yrs Appointed Honorary Member in 1915 2 yr 2 yr 2 yr 2 yr 2 yr 2 yr 1 yr 1 yr 2 yr 2 yr Interregnum from the autumn semester of 1882 to the spring semester of 1884 2 yr 2 yr 8 yrs yrs Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1900, Honorary Member in 1910 yrs yrs 2 yr yrs Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1900, Honorary Member in 1910 1 yr 1 yr yrs yrs Appointed Honorary Member in 1915 3 yrs yrs Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1900, Honorary Member in 1910 1 yr 2 yrs 1 yr 1 yr 1 yr 2 yrs Vacancy during the autumn semester of 1905 1 yr 1 yr Vacancy during the spring semester of 1907 1 yr 1 yr 1 yr 1 yr 2 yrs 2 yrs 1 yr yrs 3 yrs 3 yrs 5 yrs 5 yrs 26 yrs 26 yrs Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1932, Honorary Member in 1946 4 yrs 4 yrs 19 yrs 19 yrs Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1961, Honorary Member in 1969 7 yrs 7 yrs 7 yrs 7 yrs 2 yrs 2 yrs 5 yrs 5 yrs 7 yrs 7 yrs Joint conductorship with Henrik Wikström 11 yrs 18 yrs Total tenure inclusive of joint conductorship with John Schultz 11 yrs 11 yrs Appointed Honorary Conductor in 2019 yr yr Acting conductor Incumbent, conductor de facto from 2020, spring

List of presidents The president is the chairman of the committee.

+ Presidents From To Name Notes No presidents proper before 1884 1884 1886 No presidents proper from 1886 to 1895 1896 1896 No presidents proper from 1896 to 1902 1903 1905 1905 1907 1908 1908 1908 1911 1911 1912 1912 1912 1913 1913 Acting 1913 1913 1914 1915 1916 1916 1916 1918 1919 1920 1920 1921 1922 1923 1923 1925 1925 1926 1926 1926 1927 1927 1927 1928 1928 1928 1929 1931 1931 1932 1932 1934 1934 1936 1937 1937 1937 1940 1940 1944 1945 1947 1947 1949 1949 1951 1951 1952 1952 1955 1955 1957 1957 1959 1959 1961 1961 1963 1963 1965 1965 1967 1967 1968 1968 1969 1969 1970 1970 1972 1972 1974 1974 1975 1975 1976 1976 1978 1978 1980 1980 1982 1982 1983 1983 1984 1984 1988 Appointed Honorary Member in 2013 1988 1990 1990 1991 1991 1992 1992 1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1995 Acting 1996 1997 1998 2000 Appointed Honorary Member in 2023 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2019 2020 2021 2022 2024 20252025Lars M. Huldén2026Robin McCannIncumbent

Present activities

Being the oldest extant male voice choir in Finland, Akademiska Sångföreningen has always cared particularly for the classical Finnish male voice repertoire. Among the composers whose compositions form part of the choir's standard repertoire are honorary members Jean Sibelius, Selim Palmgren and Erik Bergman, as well as fellow composers Toivo Kuula and Leevi Madetoja. Furthermore, being a Finland-Swedish organization, the choir has always seen it as a natural and important task to champion the Swedish-speaking minority culture in Finland. Hence, the standard repertoire encompasses not only choral works of Finnish and Finland-Swedish origin, but also many works of Swedish origin, for example by honorary member Hugo Alfvén.

As implied by its name, the choir is an academic or students' choir, and like its Helsinki sister choir the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran () an independent 'music corporation' (, ) affiliated with the University of Helsinki. The choir presently comprises some 50 active singers, many of whom are university students. Concerts are given regularly in Finland, and the choir travels abroad frequently. In addition to most European countries, the choir has been on tour in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Particularly in recent years, the choir has devoted itself to actively producing records, explicitly in order to document high quality male voice choir repertoire in Swedish. Apart from Swedish, the choir also sings in the parody language Transpiranto on the record Happi kvam pippi, which was released in 2006. A later album, Hymn to Finland, was produced by Swedish label BIS Records and documents works for male voice choir by founder Fredrik Pacius. The record was released on 19 March 2009, the 200th anniversary of Pacius' birth.

The choir maintains contacts with other similar choirs, in Finland in particular with male voice academic choirs Brahe Djäknar in Turku and the YL Male Voice Choir () in Helsinki, and in Sweden in particular with Orphei Drängar in Uppsala, Stockholm Academic Male Chorus () in Stockholm, Linköping University Male Voice Choir () in Linköping and Lund University Male Voice Choir () in Lund.

Ever since 1954, the choir has collaborated extensively with the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran (), the only other Swedish-language University of Helsinki choir. The two choirs give several annually recurring concerts together.

Discography + Studio, live and selections albums primarily featuring the choir Year Title Translation Conductor(s) Label Format Notes 1964 Akademiska Sångföreningen 1838–1963 The Finnish Broadcasting Company LP 125th anniversary concert repertoire 1967 Bellman och serenader 'Carl Michael Bellman and serenades' The Finnish Broadcasting Company EP 1975 Studentsången i Kajsaniemi 'The students' singing in Kaisaniemi Park' Akademiska Sångföreningen LP 1980 Etude Finlandia Records LP 1983 Magnificat Finlandia Records LP 1988 A la carte Various Akademiska Sångföreningen LP Selected live recordings from the Akademen à la carte concerts 1980–1987 1995 Första maj 'May Day' Akademiska Sångföreningen CD 1999 Julstämning 'Christmas spirit' , Akademiska Damkören Lyran & Akademiska Sångföreningen CD Christmas album; in collaboration with the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran 2002 Skaparegestalter 'Creator figures' Fuga CD 2005 För ögonblicket 'At the moment' Fuga CD 2006 Happi kvam pippi Fuga CD Translations into the parody language Transpiranto 2009 Hymn to Finland: Fredrik Pacius: Works for Male-Voice Choir BIS Records CD 2011 Julen vi minns 'The Christmas we remember' , Akademiska Damkören Lyran & Akademiska Sångföreningen CD Christmas album; in collaboration with the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran 2013 Från tidevarv till tidevarv 'From epoch unto epoch' Various Fuga Triple CD Selections album; released for the 175th anniversary 2013 Solglitter 'The sun's glistening' Fuga CD 2016 I Dreamt: Beställningsverken 2007–2013 'I Dreamt: Works commissioned 2007–2013' Fuga CD 2021En del av det hela'Part of the whole'Elisa HuovinenCD2025Kristallström'Crystal stream'Elisa HuovinenCD

Notes

Citations

References

Akademiska Sångföreningen

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