The Utopia Chamber Choir founded in 2001, is one of Finland’s leading vocal ensembles, performing at home and abroad with world-renowned conductors, orchestras and soloists.
The 16-singer ensemble brings together dedicated professional singers and highly experienced amateurs to form a uniquely versatile choir, eager to learn and ready to adapt to any historical style. Each concert is a self-contained project, often an exploration of recently researched performance practices or the first performance in modern times of newly discovered repertoires. Their core repertoire is Renaissance polyphony and Baroque music with continuo, but Utopia is equally at home in medieval music, major works by Bach (in extended line-up), and new music.
Utopia’s artistic director is Mikael Maasalo, who sings in the bass section for the choir’s work with visiting conductors: Anima & Corpo and Fiesta Mexicana with Andrew Lawrence-King; Per Nørgård’s own compositions for the Sibelius Prize; Hayes’ The Passions with Anthony Rooley; Dido & Aeneas with Evelyn Tubb; projects with Aapo Häkkinen, Nils Schweckendiek, Robert Hollingworth, Heikki Seppänen, Deborah Roberts and Francis Steele.
The choir performs with the leading Nordic periodic orchestras – Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, B minor Mass with Finnish Baroque Orchestra, St John Passion with Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble etc. – at major Finnish festivals – Helsinki Festival, Lahti International Organ Festival, Monteverdi Vespers and Vivaldi Gloria at Sastamala Gregoriana – and with dozens of world-renowned soloists – Monica Groop, Karoliina Kantelinen from the folk music group Värttinä, Celine Sheen and Saara Aalto – as well as providing soloists and ensembles for the premiere of Andrew Lawrence-King’s Kalevala opera and the recording of his re-make of Monteverdi’s lost masterpiece, Arianna.
Singers
Soprano – Tove Djupsjöbacka, Lena Helenius, Aino Kilpiö, Kristiina Sikiö, Mirja Uosukainen
Alto – Maaria Ansaranta, Annika Harding, Annu Korhonen, Matleena Koskenniemi, Anna Pohjola, Riikka Räisänen
Tenor – Antti Kataja, Eino Kivisaari, Sampo Rantakokko, Sami Sahramies
Bass – Mikael Maasalo, Valter Maasalo, Jouni-Jousia Äkräs