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Vox Aurea ("The Golden Voice") is a children´s choir formed from the special music classes of the city of Jyväskylä. It was founded by music educator Torsten Lindfors in 1968. After Lindfors, music educator Kari Ala-Pöllänen was the leader of the choir until 1994 when the world famous composer and conductor Pekka Kostiainen took the lead role of choir director.
The singers in Vox Aurea are aged 11-18. They are chosen for the choir after auditioning. There are also two training choirs for younger singers to practise choir singing before joining Vox Aurea.
Vox Aurea choir gives its singers an opportunity to practise singing under professional guid-ance, and it also develops them to perform at an international level. Singing in Vox Aurea means goal-directed , long-term work. Working under professional guidance supports the growth of these young people and develops their musical skills – for many singers of Vox Aurea music has become a profession or, at least, a lifelong hobby.
Vox Aurea is one of the best children's choirs in Finland and is also internationally known. The choir has been one of the top children's choirs in the world for over 40 years. It has won awards in various national and international competitions.
The choir has had concerts all over the world and has fascinated audiences in the USA, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Greece, South Korea, Latvia and Spain. The choir has recorded both classical and very demanding modern choral music.
This year conductor Pekka Kostiainen is leaving the direction of the choir to its new conductor, Sanna Salminen, who has previously worked as the vocal trainer of Vox Aurea. Sanna Salminen has also worked as the conductor of Ruamjai Youth Choir, which she founded in 2001 from older singers of the Vox Aurea Choir. Ruamjai Choir was selected as the Youth Choir of 2009 by the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation.
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The new conductor of the Vox Aurea choir, Sanna Salminen, works as an assistant professor in Music Pedagogy under the Department of Education at the University of Jyväskylä. She graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Jyväskylä in 2000. Her main subject was Music Education and during her studies she specialized in conducting and multicultural music. She has performed and led various instrumental and vocal groups, for example medieval and renaissance music, Thai music, Arabic music, Klezmer music, Finnish folk music, classical music and pop music.
Salminen was the voice trainer and assistant conductor of Musica Chamber Choir and Vox Aurea Children’s Choir from 1998 to 2006. She is also the conductor of Ruamjai youth choir, which was selected to be Youth Choir of the Year for 2009 by the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation. Sanna Salminen has worked as a researcher and a teacher in a co-operation project with the Department of Music in South Africa since 2000. Her licentiate thesis from the field was completed in 2004. Salminen’s main instruments are the viola, the violin and the medieval fiddle. She is also known for making school music books, arrangements and compositions.
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Soprano 1.
Fuchs Olga, Kangas Anna, Kiviranta Tiia, Mamedjarov Sharon, Nevantaus
Kreeta, Nurmi Laura, Pekkarinen Iida, Rantala Maija, Ruuska Katariina,
Turunen Heidi, Virmasalo Elli
Soprano 2.
Eskola Laura, Kokko Sara, Kolu Tuuli, Lappalainen Anna-Lotta, Lehtonen
Saara, Manner Maritta, Nättinen Iida, Partanen Anniina,
Peltonen Laura, Rönnberg Anna, Saksio Roosamari, Viitasaari
Julia
Alto1.
Forsberg Heidi, Huttunen Jenni, Hynninen Laura, Kangas Matilda,
Karhunen Roosa, Mäkelä Rosa-Maria, Oikarinen Miisa,
Piirtola Aino, Ruokokoski Katri, Särkkä Anna,
Virtanen Linda
Alto2.
Lautamäki Meritta, Lounaskorpi Anna-Leena, Luostarinen Anna,
Martikainen Verna, Männistö Kaisla, Salakka Pinja,
Seppälä Mette, Seppänen Kalle, Sänkiaho Laura, Turunen Roosa
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