New works for mixed choir

Kalevi Aho: Neljä joululaulua (Four Christmas Songs)
The extremely hardworking composer Kalevi Aho has written almost nothing to choirs in recent years. The more interesting are these new Christmas songs for mixed choir that Aho wrote in summer 2025. The five songs will receive their premiere with the Chamber choir Kaamos conducted by Visa Yrjölä on December 12 in Helsinki. Available soon

Juha T. Koskinen: Katoaminen
Katoaminen (Finnish for “disappearance”) for mixed choir strings together elements from a Buddhist shontenza and vocal music by Anton Bruckner and Robert Schumann. The poem in Finnish by Reetta Pekkanen is in dialogue with the shontenza. The 15-minute work received its premiere by Helsinki Chamber Choir in October 2025 under direction of Dani Juris. Buy now

Heikki Sarmanto (arr. Sampo Kasurinen): Five songs to poems by Emily Dickinson
A pioneer of Finnish modern jazz, Heikki Sarmanto (1939-) has written songs to Emily Dickinson`s powerful and moving poems. These five songs are now available as compelling arrangements for mixed choir by Sampo Kasurinen. Buy now

Mikko Sidoroff: 8. Mai 1945
The date of Mikko Sidoroff’s work for mixed choir, May 8th, 1945 holds great significance for the entire world, perhaps even most for Germans. On this day, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies led by Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and the United States, by signing the surrender document. The work draws on several texts: John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields (1915) actually relates to World War I. Its message is universal: although the poem historically refers to the battles in Flanders, Belgium, it reflects all war-torn battlefields worldwide. “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine” is from the Catholic Requiem Mass, which honors our deceased fellow humans. The third element is a recitation by a tenor soloist from the aforementioned surrender document, situating the work within a historical timeline. Additionally, the piece includes verses from the prophet Micah’s book, where the message of peace is quite clear: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” Duration 8 minutes. Buy now

Jennah Vainio: For the Departed
Jennah Vainio’s For the Departed for mixed choir (2024) is a rhytmic, powerful prayer, concluding with the harmonies of the heavenly gates of the otherworldly spheres. The text (in English) is an Orthodox hymn used as a final blessing read by the priest in a funeral. The work was commissioned and premiered by the Krysostomos Chamber Choir. Buy now