About the choir

The Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran was established in 1946 by Eja Tollet and is today one of the most prominent choirs in Finland. Lyran is the only female voice choir at the University of Helsinki. The choir has around 50 active members, who are mainly students from different universities and colleges in the Helsinki region.

Lyran aims to promote and inspire the female choral tradition in Finland. The choir is well-known for its musical ambition and the choir is an important social forum for its members. The official language of the choir is Swedish.

Lyran is conducted by Jutta Seppinen since 2009. Seppinen is a versatile musician who is known for her unprejudiced choice of repertoire and her inspirational style of conducting a choir.

Lyran’s wide repertoire encompasses various genres and the music shifts from traditional to modern, depending on the choir’s current projects. There is a continuous expanding of the repertoire with many commissioned pieces, composed often by young Finnish composer. In addition to the concert repertoire, a vast set of Lyran’s evergreens is maintained. Lyran offers also quartets and ensembles for various occasions.

Competitions, festivals and tours at home and abroad are a natural part of choir activities. The year 2011 marks the choir’s 65th anniversary and it has been celebrated with a jubilee concert in March. During the spring Lyran has also participated in the Nordic Student Singer’s Summit in Sweden and in the fall the choir has given two spectacular shows, where many of Lyran’s quartets and ensembles performed. In addition to these separate concerts, Lyran’s activity includes many traditional performances, such as the Vappu matiné in April and the Christmas concerts together with The Academic Male Voice Choir Akademen in December. Lyran will continue the collaboration with Akademen during spring 2012, performing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in March.