Concerts:

The Tapiola Chamber Choir was founded in 1984 by former members of the world-famous Unesco Prize winning Tapiola Choir who wished to continue singing together. The independent 36-member Choir, dedicated to achieving a professional standard of excellence, soon established itself as a major representative of its generation in Finnish music. The Choir´s adventurous programming, diverse repertoire and ambitious recording schedule have found recognition in the form of audience response, critical acclaim and awards both in Finland and abroad.
The Choir’s clients and partners include Finland’s leading professional orchestras (like the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sinfonia Lahti, the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta and the Sixth Floor Orchestra), conductors (like Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste), music festivals, concert agencies, record companies and composers.

The Choir has also performed Baroque and Classical major works with distinguished foreign conductors such as Peter Schreier, Harry Christophers, Roy Goodman and Paul Hillier. The Synfonia Tapiola Baroque orchestra was formed in 2005 to perform music from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on period instruments.
The Choir recorded for Finlandia Records, a division of Warner Classics in 1991-2002. Many of these discs have received national awards, and the Penderecki disc has sold over 27,000 copies worldwide. The Choir’s Penderecki and Sibelius discs are included as ‘benchmark’ recordings in the Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide. The Choir has recorded for Alba Records since 2005.
The Choir is running several long-term projects. The National Library Project is for documenting the works of major Finnish composers. Tapiola Originals is a collection of works commissioned from internationally distinguished composers from countries of the Baltic Sea area. In 2000-2005, the Choir had composer-in-residence agreement with Jaakko Mäntyjärvi.

Our Symbols

Tapiola

In Finnish mythology Tapiola is the dwelling place of the forest god Tapio.
Breitkopf & Härtel asked Jean Sibelius explain the title of the symphonic poem Tapiola, to which the composer provided the quatrain, which was later translated into English, French and German, with the approval of the composer, and prefaces the score:

Wide-spread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests,
Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams;
Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God,
And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets.

Logo

The Tapiola Chamber Choir logo is designed by graphic designer Chris Rawlings. The logo combines the letter T, a tree and a labyrinth.
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. There are about 500 complex spirals from crude stones on the Baltic coasts.

Our singers:

Our Musical Partners