The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki Akademiska Sångföreningen
Choir
Logotype
Origin	Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland,  Russian Empire (today Helsinki,  Finland)
Founded	1838 (1838)
Founder	Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius
Genre	Male-voice choral
Members	Ca 60 active
Chief conductor	Elisa Huovinen
Choir admission	Semiannual auditions
Headquarters	Helsinki,  Finland
Affiliation	University of Helsinki
Associated groups	The Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran The YL Male Voice Choir The Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra
Website	akademen.com

The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki (Swedish: Akademiska Sångföreningen, lit. 'The Academic Song Association', Finland Swedish: [ɑkɑˈdeːmiskɑ ˈsoŋfœrˌeːniŋen]), abbreviated AS, colloquially also known as Akademen^{[lower-alpha 1]} (Finland Swedish: [ɑkɑˈdeːmen]), 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.^[1] 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 (Finnish: Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat). Furthermore, it is one of two Swedish-language choirs affiliated with the University of Helsinki, the other being the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran (Swedish: Akademiska Damkören Lyran).

History

Overview

Drawing of the young Pacius by Mazér

Akademiska Sångföreningen was founded no later than during the spring term of 1838 by Fredrik Pacius (né Friedrich 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 Akademiska Sångsällskapet^{[lower-alpha 2]}, 'The Academic Song Society'.^[2] The choir is thus the oldest extant one in Finland.^[1] The name Akademiska Sångföreningen was introduced no later than in 1846.^[3]

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,^[4] Pacius' composition Vårt land, 'Our Land', 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 (Swedish: "sångartolfvor", lit. 'singer twelves') participated in raising the funds necessary to build what is today known as the Old Student House in Helsinki (Swedish: Gamla studenthuset, Finnish: Vanha ylioppilastalo), by travelling the country performing.^[5] The Old Student House was finished in 1870^[6] 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 Akademen à la carte 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.^[7][8] 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.^[9]

List of chief conductors

Fredrik Pacius (1809–1891), conductor 1838–1846

Martin Wegelius (1846–1906), conductor 1870–1871 and 1873–1876

Nils-Eric Fougstedt (1910–1961), conductor 1946–1950

Erik Bergman (1911–2006), conductor 1950–1969

Henrik Otto Donner (1939–2013), conductor 1969–1976

The chief conductor is the artistic director of the choir.

Chief conductors^{[7][8][10][11][9][12]}

From (semester)	To (semester) incl.	Consecutive tenure	Total tenure	Name	Notes
1838, spring	1846, spring	8+1⁄2 yrs	8+1⁄2 yrs	Fredrik Pacius	Founder
1846, autumn	1850, spring	4 yrs	4 yrs	August Lindelöf
Temporary conductors from the autumn semester of 1850 to the spring semester of 1857
1857, autumn	1860, spring	3 yrs	3 yrs	Gustaf Magnus Cederhvarf
1860, autumn	1864, spring	4 yrs	4 yrs	Henrik Gustaf Borenius
1864, autumn	1865, spring	1 yr	1 yr	Johannes Edvard Pacius
1865, autumn	1866, spring	1 yr	1 yr	Uno Kurtén	Appointed Honorary Member in 1920
1866, autumn	1868, spring	2 yrs	3 yrs	Lorentz Nikolai Achté
1868, autumn	1869, autumn	1+1⁄2 yrs	1+1⁄2 yrs	Nils Peter Paldani
1870, spring	1871, spring	1+1⁄2 yrs	4+1⁄2 yrs	Martin Wegelius
1871, autumn	1872, spring	1 yr	3 yrs	Lorentz Nikolai Achté
1872, autumn	1873, spring	1 yr	1 yr	David Hahl
1873, autumn	1876, spring	3 yrs	4+1⁄2 yrs	Martin Wegelius
1876, autumn	1879, spring	3 yrs	6+1⁄2 yrs	Gösta Sohlström	Appointed Honorary Member in 1915
1879, autumn	1879, autumn	2 yr	2 yr	Oscar Mechelin
1880, spring	1880, spring	2 yr	2 yr	Nils Kiljander
1880, autumn	1880, autumn	2 yr	2 yr	Jarl Werner Holmberg
1881, spring	1881, autumn	1 yr	1 yr	Edvard Rindell
1882, spring	1882, spring	2 yr	2 yr	Oscar W. Moberg
Interregnum from the autumn semester of 1882 to the spring semester of 1884
1884, autumn	1884, autumn	2 yr	2 yr	Artur Relander
1885, spring	1892, autumn	8 yrs	11+1⁄2 yrs	Carl von Knorring	Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1900, Honorary Member in 1910
1893, spring	1894, spring	1+1⁄2 yrs	2+1⁄2 yrs	Emil Leander
1894, autumn	1894, autumn	2 yr	11+1⁄2 yrs	Carl von Knorring	Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1900, Honorary Member in 1910
1895, spring	1895, autumn	1 yr	1 yr	Uno Öller
1896, spring	1899, spring	3+1⁄2 yrs	6+1⁄2 yrs	Gösta Sohlström	Appointed Honorary Member in 1915
1899, autumn	1902, spring	3 yrs	11+1⁄2 yrs	Carl von Knorring	Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1900, Honorary Member in 1910
1902, autumn	1903, spring	1 yr	2 yrs	Lennart Hallman
1903, autumn	1904, spring	1 yr	1 yr	Kurt Ångelin
1902, autumn	1905, spring	1 yr	2 yrs	Lennart Hallman
Vacancy during the autumn semester of 1905
1906, spring	1906, autumn	1 yr	1 yr	Gustaf Mattsson
Vacancy during the spring semester of 1907
1907, autumn	1908, spring	1 yr	1 yr	Alarik Uggla
1908, autumn	1909, spring	1 yr	1 yr	Thure Sandelin
1909, autumn	1911, spring	2 yrs	2 yrs	Gösta Enckell
1911, autumn	1912, spring	1 yr	2+1⁄2 yrs	Emil Leander
1912, autumn	1915, spring	3 yrs	3 yrs	Ragnar Hollmérus
1915, autumn	1920, spring	5 yrs	5 yrs	Olof Wallin
1920, autumn	1946, spring	26 yrs	26 yrs	Bengt Carlson	Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1932, Honorary Member in 1946
1946, autumn	1950, spring	4 yrs	4 yrs	Nils-Eric Fougstedt
1950, autumn	1969, spring	19 yrs	19 yrs	Erik Bergman	Appointed Honorary Conductor in 1961, Honorary Member in 1969
1969, autumn	1976, spring	7 yrs	7 yrs	Henrik Otto Donner
1976, autumn	1983, spring	7 yrs	7 yrs	Markus Westerlund
1983, autumn	1985, spring	2 yrs	2 yrs	Eric-Olof Söderström
1985, autumn	1990, spring	5 yrs	5 yrs	Tom Eklundh
1990, autumn	1997, spring	7 yrs	7 yrs	John Schultz	Joint conductorship with Henrik Wikström
1997, autumn	2008, spring	11 yrs	18 yrs	Henrik Wikström	Total tenure inclusive of joint conductorship with John Schultz
2008, autumn	2019, spring	11 yrs	11 yrs	Kari Turunen	Appointed Honorary Conductor in 2019
2019, autumn	2019, autumn	1⁄2 yr	1⁄2 yr	Riku Laurikka	Acting conductor
2019, autumn				Elisa Huovinen	Incumbent, conductor de facto from 2020, spring

Present activities

Erik Bergman conducting the choir on May Day 1968 in Helsinki

The Old Student House in Helsinki, where the choir rehearsed from inauguration in 1870 and throughout most of the 20th century, and as of 2016 rehearses every other semester

The Balder House in Helsinki, where the choir as of 2016 rehearses every other semester

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^[15] Jean Sibelius, Selim Palmgren and Erik Bergman, as well as fellow composers Toivo Kuula and Leevi Madetoja.^[16] 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.^[15][16]

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 (Swedish: Akademiska Damkören Lyran) an independent 'music corporation' (Swedish: musikkorporation, Finnish: musiikkikorporaatio) 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,^[17] 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 (Finnish: Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat) in Helsinki, and in Sweden in particular with Orphei Drängar in Uppsala, Stockholm Academic Male Chorus (Swedish: Stockholms Studentsångare) in Stockholm, Linköping University Male Voice Choir (Swedish: Linköpings Studentsångare) in Linköping and Lund University Male Voice Choir (Swedish: Lunds Studentsångförening) in Lund.

Ever since 1954, the choir has collaborated extensively with the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran (Swedish: Akademiska Damkören Lyran),^[18][19] the only other Swedish-language University of Helsinki choir. The two choirs give several annually recurring concerts together.^[10][12]

Discography

Notes

Citations

References

Further reading

External links

• Official website (in Swedish)
• Official English webpage
• University of Helsinki
• Student Union of the University of Helsinki
• Arkivet: "Akademiska sångföreningen är Finlands äldsta kör" (in Swedish)