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The Vaasa Choir Festival will bring choral music to Vaasa from 14 to 16 May 2026
Published: 11.5.2026
Choral music will echo throughout Vaasa as the Vaasa Choir Festival is held for the 32nd time from 14 to 16 May 2026. The three-day festival offers dozens of concerts and events across the city – in churches, concert venues, and restaurants.
The main performers of the three-day festival include the renowned a cappella group Club for Five, Jyväskylä Female Choir, and the Helsinki Chamber Choir, which will perform together with the Vaasa City Orchestra. Kuula-opisto’s children’s choir Estradi and the Wasa Sinfonietta will perform the choral musical Pikku Ankka Vaakkunokka, aimed at children and the young at heart.
The Vaasa Choir Festival brings together more than 70 choirs and offers a rich programme at over 20 venues. The festival will open with the traditional free concert on Thursday 14 May at Vaasa City Hall. The opening concert features Nox, Skellefteå Kammarkör and Tretti Karar.
Leading choir and city orchestra join forces
The festival’s main concert, Yhteen ääneen, will be heard on Friday 15 May at 18 at Vaasa Church. In their first collaboration, the Helsinki Chamber Choir and the Vaasa City Orchestra perform works by Einojuhani Rautavaara and Ludwig van Beethoven. Under the direction of Nils Schweckendiek, the Helsinki Chamber Choir has risen to join the ranks of the world’s leading choirs. The culmination of the dark-toned concert programme is Beethoven’s Mass in C Major.
The Jyväskylä Female Choir, named Choir of the Year by the Association of Finnish Female Choirs, will perform on Saturday 16 May. The choir consists of approximately 40 singers of varying ages. The Kaikkea muuta concert at Vaasa City Hall from 15 to 16 is free of charge. Later that evening at 19 at Vaasa Church, audiences will be able to enjoy male-voice choral music alongside rock classics as Wasa Sångargille performs together with Swedish guitar legend Janne Schaffer and pianist-singer Jonas Gideon. Club for Five takes to the stage at Ritz on Saturday 16 May at 19. The nearly sold-out concert takes the audience on a musical journey through time, from the classics of Finnish music to the present day.
Musical memories for children
A spectacular choral musical for children and the young at heart, Pikkuankka Vaakkunokka, is staged in the Julia Auditorium at Vaasa City Theatre. Kuula-opisto’s children’s choir Estradi and the Wasa Sinfonietta lead the audience through a story of friendship, homesickness, and adventure. Performances are on Friday 15 May at 18, and on Saturday 16 May at 10 and 13.
In addition to the main concerts, the festival offers a wealth of free events across the city. At the Rewell Non Stop events, dozens of choirs perform over two days. Highlights include the festival soirée at Ernst Salonger restaurant on Thursday from 21–23, a pop-rock evening at Royal restaurant on Friday 15 May from 20–23, and choir karaoke at Jolene Happy Bar on Saturday 16 May starting at 21.
View the full programme at vaasa.fi/kuorofestivaali