The Finnish Orthodox Cantors’ Choir (Suomen ortodoksinen kanttorikuoro, SOKK) is maintained by the Association of Orthodox Cantors in Finland and consists of professional church musicians and experienced choral singers. The choir rehearses in intensive periods, and participation is an important part of the professional duties and continuing education of Orthodox cantors. Its mission is to promote authentic performances of Orthodox sacred music from Finland and around the world.

In 2022, the Association of Orthodox Cantors in Finland celebrated its 90th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the choir recorded a new album at the Riihimäki Garrison Church.

“The Cantors’ Choir is currently in excellent form: its sound is a wonderful combination of the rich sonority of a large Russian-style cathedral choir and the refined, homogeneous sound of a Nordic chamber choir.”

— Risto Nordell, music journalist

The anniversary album brings together traditional and contemporary Orthodox sacred music from Finland and abroad.

Pekka Attinen and Boris Jakubov were composers active during the early decades of the autonomous Orthodox Church of Finland. They were responsible for some of the first sacred choral compositions in the Finnish language. Peter Mirolybov, who studied composition under Attinen, among others, left behind an extensive body of work. Some of his compositions are intended for liturgical use, while others are more suited to concert performance. The hymn to the Mother of God featured on this album represents the more liturgical side of his output.

Leonid Bashmakov, a distinguished Orthodox composer from Tampere, was the last broadly trained musical professional in Finland to receive a thorough formal education in composition and devote himself extensively to Orthodox church music. His substantial liturgical output combines the Slavic choral tradition with a distinctly Finnish compositional style. Jumalansynnyttäjän kiitosvirsi (eng. The Hymn of Praise to the Mother of God) and Herran rukous (eng. The Lord’s Prayer), included on this album, are among his unpublished works.

Heikki Hattunen has provided a beautiful harmonic setting for the Byzantine melody of the hymn Holy God. Hattunen served for many years as cantor of the Orthodox parish in Tampere and currently works as a tenor with the Finnish National Opera. Aleksi Suikkanen, cantor of the Orthodox parish in Joensuu, describes the musical language of his kontakion for the funeral service as expressing a luminous sense of sorrow alongside the hope of new life.

Composer Arvo Pärt hardly needs an introduction. His minimalist, contemplative and timeless musical language is widely recognised. These qualities are also present in Triodion, Part I, featured on this album, although the work also makes powerful, at times even dramatic, use of the choir.

Alongside Pärt, Alfred Schnittke is another internationally renowned composer represented on the album. His Three Sacred Hymns reflect his personal interpretation of Orthodox liturgical music, a tradition that had influenced him since childhood.

Archpriest Andrei Bondarenko represents contemporary Russian Orthodox sacred music. His musical language moves effortlessly between traditional Slavic styles and the tonal idioms of our time.

Serbian composer Stefan Mokranjac is regarded as the father of Serbian Romantic art music and one of the most important Serbian composers of his era. He was also deeply involved in sacred music. The Alleluia heard on this album forms part of his setting of the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom.

Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek wrote a considerable amount of sacred choral music, including one of his best-known collections, Taaveti laulud (Psalms of David). The collection contains several psalm settings associated with the Orthodox Vigil, including the opening psalm, Psalm 104, Kiita mu hing Issandat (Bless the Lord, O My Soul), featured on this recording.

Ukrainian composer Tatjana Yashvili is a particularly fascinating figure. She studied at the Moscow Conservatory but has since sought refuge from the war in Graz, Austria. Her music is distinguished by its masterful harmonic writing, powerful melodies and an exceptional ability to build and release tension over long musical passages.

As a gesture of support for the composer, the Finnish Orthodox Cantors’ Choir commissioned a new work from Yashvili, Ylistäkää Herraa taivaista (eng. Praise the Lord from the Heavens). The composition combines rhythmic elements of folk music with a joyful spirit of praise, offering a message of hope amid challenging times. The album also includes two other works by Yashvili: Svjatyj Bože (Holy God) and Iže heruvimyi (Cherubic Hymn).

The choir is conducted by Rita Varonen, who holds a diploma in choral conducting from the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and currently teaches as a senior lecturer at JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä. She has extensive experience conducting concerts throughout Europe and the United States, and her choirs have enjoyed success in both national and international competitions.

Varonen has received numerous awards and honours throughout her career, including being named Finnish Choir Conductor of the Year in 2004. Among the ensembles she has conducted are the Cantinovum Chamber Choir and the Jyväskylä Opera Choir.

Finnish Orthodox Cantors’ Choir