THE CHORUS OF THE FINNISH NATIONAL OPERA

Each singer brings their own unique skills and personality to a performance, and together they create the sound that resonates across the Opera House . The chorus often plays the role of the storyteller. It conveys the most intense moments of the drama, whether it evokes joy, sorrow, love, or anger.

The chorus has been an integral part of the Finnish National Opera’s productions for over a century. In its early days, the chorus was composed of amateur singers, but it evolved professionally over time. The Choral Singers’ Association of the Finnish Opera was established in spring 1945 with 33 singers.

Today, the Finnish National Opera employs 53 tenured opera singers. Depending on the season and repertoire, they perform either as soloists or in a mixture of soloist and choir roles. Most of the singers form the Chorus of the Finnish National Opera, Finland’s only full-time professional chorus.

The composition of the chorus varies by production. For operas requiring a larger chorus, additional singers from the FNO’s 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.

MARGE MEHILANE graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater as a choir conductor in 1995. Since 1997, she has worked as a choir master at the Finnish National Opera.

TATU ERKKILÄ (b. 1993) is a Helsinki-based choir conductor and pianist who currently works as assistant choir master at the Finnish National Opera and artistic director of the Polyteknikkojen Kuoro choir. Previously, he served as artistic director of the mixed choir Somnium Ensemble (2009–2020) and assistant choirmaster at the Mannheim Opera House in Germany (2020–2022). Since fall 2023, he has also served as artistic director of the vocal ensemble Taurus Consort, which he founded. Erkkilä completed his A degree in choral conducting at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts in spring 2019 and graduated with a master's degree in music in the summer of the same year. During the 2018-2019 season, he completed his studies at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. Erkkilä works regularly as a répétiteur and rehearsal conductor at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, among others. He is also a sought-after accompanist and audition coach. In addition to occasional solo engagements, he can be heard singing with the Helsinki Chamber Choir.

TUOMAS JUUTILAINEN studied piano at the Sibelius Academy under Hamsa Al-Wadi Juris and at the University of Michigan in the United States under Professor Martin Katz, majoring in chamber music and accompaniment. After graduating in 2017, he participated in the prestigious Merola Opera Program in San Francisco. Since then, he has been in high demand as a répétiteur in independent productions in Finland. He has worked as a répétiteur at the Finnish and Norwegian National Operas and as a part-time teacher in the opera program at the Sibelius Academy. Juutilainen is also an active orchestral musician and has been a frequent guest with the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and as a keyboardist with the Helsinki City Theater. His artistic work has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Pro Musica Foundation, and the Martin Wegelius Foundation.

JOONAS MINKKINEN is an organist, harpsichordist, and pianist from Helsinki who studies at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki in the Department of Church Music. He has studied under Ville Urponen (organ), Pekka Suikkanen (organ improvisation) and Elina Mustonen (harpsichord), among others. Minkkinen is currently preparing for his A degree in organ under the guidance of Peter Peitsalo. He has worked as a rehearsal pianist and accompanist for several choirs in rehearsals and concerts, as well as rehearsal pianist for Philip Glass's opera Akhnaten, produced by Opera Box. Joonas Minkkinen is deputy director of Suomen Laulu and works as a cantor in the Helsinki Cathedral Parish.