YL Male Voice Choir
YL Male Voice Choir (Finnish: Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat) is a Finnish male-voice choir founded in 1883 by P. J. Hannikainen to be the choir of Helsinki University. It is the oldest Finnish-language choir. Today the group is not strictly tied to the university, but most applicants have passed the matriculation exam or study at university level.
Conductor history: The choir was led by Matti Hyökki until 2010. In July 2010, Pasi Hyökki became the conductor.
Concerts: The choir gives concerts in Finland and abroad. It makes two short tours within Finland each year and one or two international tours to Asia, Europe, or the Americas. Tours have included Norway (2009), Belgium and the USA (2010), and China and Mexico (2011). The USA tour featured a finale at Carnegie Hall with Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Audience: About 12,000 people attend the Christmas concerts in Helsinki churches each year, with thousands more attending the May Day songs.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 22:54 (CET).