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The Chorus Singers’ Association was founded 80 years ago

The Chorus of the Finnish National Opera celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025. Read this intriguing article and find out how it all began.

The opera chorus found its feet in post-war Finland

When the war ended in Finland in autumn 1944, opera performances were resumed. Though peace had returned, severe shortages persisted everywhere. Food was rationed, and while the black market thrived, access to it required money.

Despite these challenging times, or perhaps because of them, an important milestone was reached in the organisation of the opera chorus. On 4 April 1945, choral singers held a meeting at the Old Opera House with a total of 33 individuals present. After electing Uolevi Lönnberg as chairman and Airi Paatso as secretary, they recorded a momentous decision: “It was decided to establish an association called the Choral Singers’ Association of the Finnish Opera.”

The Chorus of the Finnish National Opera in 1936. Photo from the Finnish National Opera archives.

The chorus had long functioned as a standalone department, holding its own meetings and presenting a united front in negotiations over salaries and working hours. However, this was the first time the singers united in an association eligible to join the Finnish Actors Union. Discussions about employment terms were held at the same time, with the list of desired adjustments including consistency in the monetisation of small roles. Naturally, as was customary, a salary increase was proposed. This time it was an ambitious raise of two thousand Finnish marks.

“If the salary issue cannot be resolved, it is suggested that we turn to Minister Svento for support,” the meeting minutes recorded. Reinhold Svento was a member of parliament representing the Finnish People’s Democratic League (SKDL) and then serving as the Second Minister for Foreign Affairs. This shows the singers’ willingness to collaborate with the political left in the post-war political climate.

The new professional approach was also reflected in another decision made at the meeting: from then on, singing would always require payment. As clause nine outlined, the chorus would “refuse to perform at soloists’ shows and other events free of charge.”

A concert in Kaivohuone: “Dress code: casual. Dancing! Raffle!”

The official founding meeting was held on 8 April, where the association’s name was confirmed as “The Choral Singers’ Association of the Finnish Opera.” Uolevi Lönnberg was appointed as the association’s first chairman, and the board included Airi Paatso, Impi Karima, Martti Vartio, Lennu Paatso, and Rafael Karima. Membership was open to all chorus singers with a contract for the upcoming year, and the annual membership fee was set at 100 Finnish marks.

The association was registered with the purpose of “raising its members’ intellectual and material status through all possible means as well as protecting and promoting their interests.” To fund these goals, the association stated it would “acquire the necessary resources through membership fees, concerts, and other methods permitted by law.

Fundraising was started in the way they knew best: by organising a performance. Kaivohuone near the Helsinki seaside was chosen as the venue, and the programme was to include scenes from Song of the Desert and Faust. Additionally, it was agreed that “Jokio will perform as Marian Anderson*.” As other performers were also needed, it was decided to invite Almi, Heinrichsen, Jokio, Koskinen, Pihlaja, Lätti, Kuorikoski, and the Metro Quartet along. Thure Bahne was asked to present the event, and the Finnish National Opera was approached in order to borrow costumes. The singers also requested that tickets, priced at 100 Finnish marks, could be sold through the Opera House box office. The date for the performance was set for 21 May 1945.

An advertisement in Helsingin Sanomat, a national newspaper, announced the “Joyful Spring Celebration,” which would be held on the second day of Pentecost at 8 p.m. The performance was to feature the harem scene from Song of the Desert and the waltz scene from Faust. Matti Visapää and Taneli Kuusisto were listed as the evening’s conductors, with Professor Väinö Sola serving as the master of ceremonies. “Dress code: casual. Dancing! Raffle!”

A chorus rehearsal in 1932. Photo from the Finnish National Opera archives.

The celebration was such as financial triumph that, together with the membership fees, it brought a new concern for the association. Inflation was rising rapidly, and it was thought pressing to invest the money in something tangible. Discussions were held about possible investments in “real estate, artworks, or other apt purposes.” The success of the celebration probably raised expectations a little too high, as by the next meeting on 29 June 1945, it was already noted that “due to the small size of the fund, the idea of real estate investment has been abandoned.” Instead, it was decided to purchase a framed painting of Töölö by Arvo Makkonen for 7,000 Finnish marks (approximately 850 euros). Makkonen (1894–1956) was well respected and a member of the November Group of artists, but as an investment, the purchase proved unwise. Today, Makkonen’s oil paintings sell for only a few hundred euros.

The chorus strengthens its position

Besides strengthening the chorus’s position as an independent department, the founding of the association also brought it to the attention of the media. The September 1945 issue of Kuva magazine published an extensive article titled “The Chorus – A Pillar of the Opera.” The piece detailed the significance of the chorus in opera performances and the demanding nature of its role. What’s more, it highlighted poor pay as a notable problem, with singers often leaving the chorus for more lucrative jobs. It’s true that the turnover rate was unacceptably high: “Currently, half of the members leave within 2–3 years, and while the membership in spring was 40, it is now only 32!”

Readers were told that chorus members must be trained singers, if only because “without proper vocal training, their voices would be exhausted in a short time. Studying in the opera programme at the Sibelius Academy would be ideal, but at the very least, a basic education, vocal technique, and the ability to read music are essential.”

The piece also included a detailed description of chorus rehearsals. Due to a lack of premises, they were held in the foyer and “usually began with the men noisily rolling the piano to the centre of the room upon the chorus master’s arrival—though never directly beneath the crystal chandelier, just to be safe. One of many traditions set by Aufrichtig!** Sheet music for the new opera is distributed, the parts are rehearsed, and all the choral scenes are practised repeatedly, evening after evening, with the more difficult sections worked on several times until the piece is fully memorised.”

The Chorus of the Finnish National Opera in 1952. Photo by Esko Manninen.

Salary negotiations followed an established pattern. The chorus submitted a letter stating that most singers were running a debt, which meant “taxes had inevitably been left unpaid.” They requested a raise of 1,000 Finnish marks and proposed tying salaries to an index to avoid constant renegotiations. The newly formed association took a tough stance in the talks, threatening that the chorus would stop working: “chorus members’ contracts were to be considered terminated unless an agreement was reached.”

To address the critical situation, four chorus members attended a board meeting on 17 October to explain “how difficult it was to make ends meet on their current salaries.” The board was left with little choice if they wished to continue opera productions. After the chorus representatives left the meeting, the board approved a raise of 2,000 Finnish marks until the end of the contract year. Work resumed, peace was restored, and performances could continue as planned.

Text Juhani Koivisto

Today, most of the tenured opera singers at the Finnish National Opera form the Chorus of the Finnish National Opera, which is Finland’s only full-time professional chorus. It was established as a unionised chorus of professional singers in 1945.

The composition of the chorus varies by production. For operas requiring a larger chorus, additional singers from the extra chorus join the ensemble. The Opera House also has a children’s choir of approximately 50 singers. The chorus masters of the Finnish National Opera are Marge Mehilane and Tatu Erkkilä. Read more about our singers.

* Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was a world-renowned American contralto.
**Hans Sigmund Aufrichtig was the chorus master of the Finnish Opera from 1918 to 1941.