Contest for Vocal Ensembles
Registration is now open for the Contest for Vocal Ensembles 2025!
Contest for Vocal Ensembles
Known for its exciting atmosphere and its high level of quality, the Contest for Vocal Ensembles features vocal ensembles from Finland and abroad. The total prize pool is EUR 10,000. The jury will also award the Grand Prix trophy to the best ensemble in the Contest.
Supporting the competition
The main partner of the Contest for Vocal Ensembles in 2023 is Kalle Kaihari Cultural Foundation.
Jury 2025
The Contest will have an international five-member jury chaired by Jussi Chydenius (FI). Other members of the jury: Susanna Lukkarinen (FI), Kim Nazarian (US), John Potter (GB), Morten Vinther Sørensen (DK).
Jussi Chydenius
Jussi Chydenius is a highly versatile musician: a bass singer, drummer and composer. He began his musical career as the drummer of Don Huonot, one of Finland’s most popular rock groups in the 1990s, and remained with the group until 2001. He is a founding member of the Rajaton vocal ensemble, which was established in 1997 and won the Contest for Vocal Ensembles in Tampere in 1999. Besides composing for Rajaton, Chydenius has written music for choirs in Finland and abroad. He has been a member of the jury of the Contest for Vocal Ensembles since 2003.
Susanna Lukkarinen
Susanna Lukkarinen is a singer, pianist, and voice teacher. She has been prominent on the Finnish musical scene for quite some time as an ensemble member and solo artist. She is a founding member of the popular vocal ensemble Club For Five and sang with the group from 2000 to 2021. She has contributed to the albums and concert tours of numerous other Finnish artists, besides appearing as a musician on TV shows and in theatre productions. In addition to her creative work, she teaches voice at the Sibelius Academy and is also a yoga instructor.
Kim Nazarian
Kim Nazarian is a world renowned, Grammy nominated jazz performing and recording artist, educator and clinician. Besides her work as a sought-after solo vocalist, she has been performing all over the world with the vocal group “New York Voices“ (NYV) for more than 35 years. She is a jazz voice teacher for Vocal Jazz Majors at Ithaca College and she shares her perspectives on music and life as a musician through teaching private students in clinics, workshops, jazz camps and masterclasses, as well as through festival adjudication and guest conducting for singers on all levels in the US and abroad.
John Potter
John Potter is an ECM artist and writer. He is a former member of the Hilliard Ensemble and was a major contributor to the Officium project with saxophonist Jan Garbarek. He has a discography of some 150 titles ranging from Arvo Paert and Veljo Tormis to John Paul Jones and Sting. His books include A History of Singing (Cambridge University Press) and Song: a History in 12 Parts (Yale University Press) and he is editor of The Cambridge Companion to Singing. His current ensemble is the Alternative History Quartet with soprano Anna Maria Friman and lutenists Ariel Abramovich and Jacob Heringman. John chaired the Tampere ensemble jury for many years and is Reader Emeritus in Music at the University of York, UK.
Morten Vinther Sørensen
Morten is a Danish conductor, singer, producer, and composer with a master’s degree from The Royal Academy of Music in Aalborg (DK). In 2010 he joined the Swedish vocal group The Real Group and spent almost a decade touring and working globally with the group. Prior to this, Morten was active in various choirs and ensembles in Denmark and the experiences with both vocal groups and larger ensemble give him a broad perspective on vocal music – pedagogically and artistically. Since 2020 Morten is based in Germany, from where he has been working with Syng Selected, Åkervinda, POSTYR, Latvian Voices, Bonner Jazzchor, Twäng and Songs of The Moment among others.
Winners
2023
1. Les Itinérantes (Ranska) – Grand Prix
2. HØST (Tanska/Ruotsi)
Amplified ensembles
1. Flok (Suomi)
Both categories
Audience favourite prize: Flok (Suomi)
2021
2. Åkervinda (Sweden)
3. Total Vocal (Israel)
4. A Capella Boğaziçi (Turkey), Les Itinérantes (France)
Audience favourite prize: Vox Populi Project (Mexico)
2019
1. Ensemble Nobiles (Germany)
2. Aba Taano (Uganda)
Amplified ensembles:
1. SØNK (Denmark) – Grand Prix
2. Of Cabbages and Kings (Germany)
3. Kuvaja (Finland)
2017
1. Ilo Ensemble (Finland)
2. Latvian Voices (Latvia)
3. KOR (Italy)
3. Sine Nomine (Colombia)
Amplified ensembles:
1. Quintense (Germany) – Grand Prix
2. SKETY (Czech Republic)
2015
1. Sjaella (Germany)
2. Sekunti (Finland)
3. proMODERN (Poland)
Amplified groups:
1. ONAIR (Germany) – Grand Prix
2. Voco Novo (Taiwan)
2. Estonian Voices (Estonia)
3. The Quintessence (Georgia)
2013
2. JazzIn Sisters (Estonia)
3. Vocal Motion Six (Namibia)
3. Taiga (Finland)
2011
2. Sonic Suite (Germany)
3. Cappella’A (Lithuania)
3. Egregor vocal (France)
2009
2. Voz en Punto (Mexico)
3. Novy Vek (Russia)
4. Shiva Knows (The Netherlands)
2007
2. Juice (United Kingdom)
3. Sound Affaire (Germany)
3. Vocado (Sweden)
2005
- 1. Calmus Ensemble (Germany) – Grand Prix
- 1. Pust (Norway)
- 1. Viisi (Finland)
- Special prize for the programme: Trio Romance (Russia)
- Special prize for originality and innovation: Vokalquartett Niniwe (Germany)
2003
- 1. JimJamMurMur (Finland) – Grand Prix
- 2. Riltons vänner (Sweden)
- 3. Lyubava (Russia)
- 3. Puellae Pauperes (Finland)
2001
- 1. Bara Vox (Sweden) – Grand Prix
- 1. Club 45 (Finland)
- Best acoustic ensemble: Canticulum (Finland)
- Special prize for the programme: Fiori (Finland)
1999
- 1. Lauluyhtye Rajaton (Finland) – Grand Prix
- 2. Trio Mediaeval (Norway)
- 3. Tsakku (Finland)
- 3. Ensemble amarcord (Germany)
1997
- Grupo Vocal Olisipo (Portugal) – Grand Prix
- Akateeminen Kvartti (Finland)
- Anima (Russia)
1995
- 1. Singer Pur (Germany) – Grand Prix
- 2. Lauluyhtye Apropå (Finland)
- 3. Nieiddat (Finland)
- 3. Pentatones (Finland)
- 3. So What (Finland)
1993
Serious music
- 1. Talla (Finland) – Grand Prix
- 2. Putni (Latvia)
- 3. Carpe Diem (Finland)
- Special prize: Unca-kvartetti (Finland)
Light music
- 1. A la carte (Sweden)
- 2. Sindi (Latvia)
- 3. Voz en Punto (Mexico)
- Special prizes: The Four Jacks (Finland), Kuninglik Kvintet (Estonia), MESS (Finland), Jazztrio Scat (Finland)
1991
Serious music
- 1. Tallinnan madrigaalien laulajat (Estonia)
- 2. Mieskvartetti Mieskvartetti (Finland)
- 3. Kvartettilaulajat (Finland)
- Special prize: Nightingales (Finland)
Light music
- 1. Neljä Veljestä (Finland) – Grand Prix
- 2. Arietta (Finland)
- 2. Voz En Punto (Mexico)
- 4. Regös Vocal (Hungary)
1989
- Sotto Voce (Finland) – Grand Prix