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The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki or, in Swedish, Akademiska Sångföreningen ((:akaˈdeːmiska ˈsoŋfœreːniŋen)), abbreviated AS and colloquially referred to as ''Akademen'', is a Finland-Swedish academic male voice choir based in Helsinki, Finland.〔Musikstationen, ().〕 The choir was founded in the spring of 1838 (at the latest),〔Lappalainen 2008, ().〕 presumably in March, by Fredrik Pacius, music teacher at the Imperial Alexander University of Finland (now University of Helsinki) and known as "the father of Finnish music",〔(Korhonen 2003 )〕 and is thus the oldest Finnish choir still in existence.〔〔Turunen 2003/2008, ().〕 It is one of two male voice choirs tied to the University of Helsinki, the other being the Finnish-language YL Male Voice Choir (''Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat''), the oldest Finnish-language choir. ==History== During the 19th century Akademiska Sångföreningen became an important symbol of national awakening in the emerging Finnish nation, at the time part of the Russian empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. On 13 May 1848,〔(Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland 1999 )〕 Pacius' composition ''Vårt land'' (''Our Land''), set to the poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, was performed for the first time by Akademiska Sångföreningen during the students' celebration of the ''Flora Day''. The composition was later to become the national anthem of the independent Finnish nation. In the 1850s and 60s, elite triple quartets (so-called ''sångartolfvor'', literally ''singer twelves'') from within the choir's ranks participated in raising the funds necessary to build what is nowadays called the ''Old Student House'' in Helsinki (''Gamla studenthuset'' in Swedish, ''Vanha ylioppilastalo'' in Finnish), by travelling the country performing.〔Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, pp. 35 & 46.〕 The Old Student House was finished in 1870,〔Eerola 2000, ().〕 and it is still the place where the choir has its office and where practice takes place once a week. During the second half of the 20th century, the choir, led by conductor and composer Erik Bergman, came to carve out new paths for the male voice tradition in Finland, in proving that said form of music is able to exhibit superior musical qualities. After Bergman, composer Henrik Otto Donner carried on this tradition, even though circumstances were less than optimal. In end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 80s the choir was engaged in lighter types of music, though without lowering the quality. The ''À la Carte'' concerts in Finlandia Hall were successful and, when necessary, members of the choir would compose pieces of music themselves. During the 20th century the choir has had several prominent conductors – Bengt Carlson, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Erik Bergman, Henrik Otto Donner, Markus Westerlund, Eric-Olof Söderström, Tom Eklundh, John Schultz and Henrik Wikström have all conducted the choir.〔〔 Present conductor D.Mus. Kari Turunen has led the choir since the autumn term of 2008. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Akademiska Sångföreningen」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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