Singing in a choir in Finland

Singing in a choir is one of my favourite hobbies. As you can see from this list, Finland is full of choirs. There is definitely a possible choir for anybody over 5 years old who is interested in laulaminen. Usually new singers are welcome in the the beginning of the fall season, but sometimes you can join a choir in the middle of the year. Singing is a great way of learning Finnish, and many Finnish choirs sing also in other languages.

This is what you should do if you want to join a choir in Finland:

1. Find a suitable choir close to you.
2. Google the contact information of puheenjohtaja (chairperson of the singer's association) or kuoronjohtaja (choir conductor), which is also sometimes called taiteellinen johtaja (artistic director).
3. Call or email them and write that you'd like to sing in the choir. You can also ask for a recommendation for another choir.
4. Be prepared for a possible audition and go to the choir practice, if there is space for another basso, tenori, altto or sopraano.

Here's a model email that you can use:

Hei,

olen 25-vuotias saksalainen opiskelija. Opiskelen yliopistossa musiikkitiedettä ja haluaisin laulaa kuorossa. Olen laulanut poika- ja sekakuoroissa  9-vuotiaasta lähtien. Olen basso. Osaan lukea nuotteja ja laulamisen lisäksi soitan selloa ja pianoa. Tulisin mielelläni koelauluun. Olisiko teidän kuorossanne tilaa? Jos ei, osaisitteko suositella jotain toista kuoroa, joka voisi sopia minulle?

Ystävällisin terveisin

N.N.

This is the choir where I sing: https://www.kipinatkuoro.fi/

Kuva: Meritta Lautamäki

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About the author of this blog:

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. You can contact me through www.privatefinnishlessons.com. You can subscribe to this blog from the right-hand banner. 

My books in easy Finnish: www.hannamannikkolahti.com

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