About the choir
Female Voice Choir Lyran is one of Finland’s top female choirs. The student choir represents the University of Helsinki and the Student Union of the University of Helsinki. Founded in 1946, Lyran is a modern and highly accomplished female choir with its roots in the Swedish-speaking Finnish tradition. Rehearsals, concerts, recordings and quartet performances are all examples of the choir’s activities.
Lyran’s repertoire is being continuously developed and extended with commissioned pieces and arrangements created by Finnish and foreign composers, as the 70th anniversary composition Låt mig vara – Anna mun olla by Minna Leinonen, which was created around the singers’ own texts. The choir also takes pride in hiring young soloists and instrumentalists.
Lyran travels extensively and has in recent years performed in, for example, the Nordic countries, Argentina and Belgium. In October 2016, Lyran participated in the Praga Cantat choral competition, and won gold band in categories female choirs and sacred music. The choir is also about more than the music, acting as an important social venue for its members. Lyran aims to take the Finnish female vocal tradition and the Nordic choral sound to new paths without leaving behind its strong musical heritage.