Brahe Djäknar
Encyclopedia
Studentkören Brahe Djäknar is a Fenno-Swedish male voice student choir
based in Turku
, Finland. It was founded in 1937 and was led by John Rosas until 1955, when Gottfrid Gräsbeck took over. Gräsbeck led the choir for 35 years, and retired from his job as university teacher in musicology as well as his job as conductor at the end of the year 1990. Ulf Långbacka
was appointed new conductor as well as teacher and has led the choir since 1991. From the autumn of 2000 to the spring of 2001, Heikki Seppänen led the choir as Långbacka was taking a year off. In 2010, Långbacka composed a new opera to be performed during Turku's European Capital of Culture year 2011, and the choir was led by former vice-conductor Martin Segerstråle.
The choir is well-known for its every-year Christmas concerts around the first Sunday of Advent. The concerts are held in the Turku Cathedral together with the sister choir, Florakören, and the Åbo Akademi University symphony orchestra, Akademiska Orkestern. The choir also performs on April 30 every year to celebrate spring's coming. These concerts have been broadcast live on radio and TV for many years.
BD has toured foreign countries frequently, both on their own and together with Florakören. The last major trips have headed to the USA and Canada in 2005, Norway in 2006, Italy in 2007 to celebrate the choir's 70th anniversary, Poland in 2008 and also France and Spain in the spring of 2009.
In France, the choir set up a rehearsal camp and spent almost a week putting the finishing touch on their repertoire. The result was good, and in the Tampere Vocal Competitions held in June, the choir was one of only two male choirs to receive golden honours, when the choir was granted two gold stamps and 800€ worth of price money.
In the autumn of 2010, the choir joined forces with their sisters in Florakören and the two choirs visited Austria and Slovenia.
In the autumn of 2011, Brahe Djäknar participated in the opera Henrik and the Hammer of Witches, composed by conductor Ulf Långbacka, together with Åbolands Kammarkör. The libretto was written by Dan Henriksson and the opera was conducted by Akademiska Orkesterns conductor Sauli Huhtala.
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
based in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland. It was founded in 1937 and was led by John Rosas until 1955, when Gottfrid Gräsbeck took over. Gräsbeck led the choir for 35 years, and retired from his job as university teacher in musicology as well as his job as conductor at the end of the year 1990. Ulf Långbacka
Ulf Långbacka
Ulf Långbacka, born 1957, is a Finland-Swedish conductor and composer.Långbacka trained at the Sibelius Academy. He received his diploma in choral conducting in 1987. He has been director of the chamber choir Cantabile and since 1991 has been lecturer in musicology at Åbo Akademi University and...
was appointed new conductor as well as teacher and has led the choir since 1991. From the autumn of 2000 to the spring of 2001, Heikki Seppänen led the choir as Långbacka was taking a year off. In 2010, Långbacka composed a new opera to be performed during Turku's European Capital of Culture year 2011, and the choir was led by former vice-conductor Martin Segerstråle.
The choir is well-known for its every-year Christmas concerts around the first Sunday of Advent. The concerts are held in the Turku Cathedral together with the sister choir, Florakören, and the Åbo Akademi University symphony orchestra, Akademiska Orkestern. The choir also performs on April 30 every year to celebrate spring's coming. These concerts have been broadcast live on radio and TV for many years.
BD has toured foreign countries frequently, both on their own and together with Florakören. The last major trips have headed to the USA and Canada in 2005, Norway in 2006, Italy in 2007 to celebrate the choir's 70th anniversary, Poland in 2008 and also France and Spain in the spring of 2009.
In France, the choir set up a rehearsal camp and spent almost a week putting the finishing touch on their repertoire. The result was good, and in the Tampere Vocal Competitions held in June, the choir was one of only two male choirs to receive golden honours, when the choir was granted two gold stamps and 800€ worth of price money.
In the autumn of 2010, the choir joined forces with their sisters in Florakören and the two choirs visited Austria and Slovenia.
In the autumn of 2011, Brahe Djäknar participated in the opera Henrik and the Hammer of Witches, composed by conductor Ulf Långbacka, together with Åbolands Kammarkör. The libretto was written by Dan Henriksson and the opera was conducted by Akademiska Orkesterns conductor Sauli Huhtala.
External links
| Previous conductors | |
|---|---|
| Years | Name |
| 1937–1955 | John Rosas |
| 1955–1990 | Gottfrid Gräsbeck |
| 1991–2000 | Ulf Långbacka |
| 2000–2001 | Heikki Seppänen |
| 2001–2009 | Ulf Långbacka |
| 2010 | Martin Segerstråle |
| 2011– | Ulf Långbacka |