St. Olaf Viking Chorus

The Viking Chorus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, is a group of more than 80 first-year student men who have been organized to sing the highest quality literature. They perform a program of music that includes motets, cantata movements, and anthems, as well as contemporary choral pieces, spirituals, folksongs, and music traditionally associated with men's singing groups.

The Viking Chorus was founded in 1935 by Luther Onerheim '37, when a number of students gathered informally, flourishing for more than 30 years under student direction.

In 1968, Dr. Robert Scholz '61 returned to St. Olaf, and was given leadership of this ensemble. Several years later, the Viking Chorus changed from a four-year ensemble to an ensemble open only to first-year men.

Suspicious Cheese Lords

The Suspicious Cheese Lords was founded by Clifton "Skip" West in 1996. Skip had the typical American dream of wanting to sing Thomas Tallis' Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah. To accomplish this goal, he enticed a core group of five amateur singers, friends who were current and former members of the Cathedral Choral Society, by promising a home-cooked dinner to those who would come and bellow.

Since then, the Cheese Lords have consisted of between 10 and 15 members. They still gather in Skip's dining room once a week to sing, drink, talk, eat, drink, sing, and did we say drink? In spite of this-or perhaps because of it-this male a cappella ensemble has been able to prepare and perform high-quality and heart-felt music throughout the Washington, D.C. area.

Svanholm Singers

Svanholm Singers is an extraordinary male voice chamber choir. Since its formation in 1998, the ensemble has established itself as one of the brightest shining stars on the Swedish choral scene. The twenty talented singers constantly strive to develop and refine their artistic and musical expression, through vocal music for male voices. The core of the repertoire is the male choir tradition of Scandinavia and the Baltic. Through numerous tours and awards in Europe and Japan the ensemble has gained a reputation for performances characterized by spirit, joy and youth while making unique interpretations of classical music. The light voices of the singers in combination with an exact intonation create a unique sound that has become the trademark for Svanholm Singers.

Washington Men's Camerata

The Washington Men's Camerata was founded by its members in 1984 to perform, promote and preserve the rich legacy of men's choral music. In support of its mission, the Camerata seeks to: 1) present concerts of the highest artistic quality to the widest possible audience; 2) educate young people and generate interest on their part in choral music; 3) collaborate with orchestras, other ensembles and recording companies in performances and recordings of the men's choral repertoire; 4) through the Demetrius Project, our National Repository Library of Men's Choral Music, preserve and share worthy collections of music that are no longer in use; and 5) encourage composers to write music for male chorus by promoting and performing newly composed men's chorus works.

YL Male Choir

The oldest Finnish language choir, the YL Male Voice Choir, was founded in 1883 as an opinion leader of the Finnish high society. Its roots are in 19th century Finland, which was growing into a separate nation. The origins of Finnish male voice choral singing can be traced to Germany via Uppsala, Sweden. It was first practised in Turku in the late 1810s, and from there it spread east after the university was moved to Helsinki in 1828. Students practised singing under varying conditions and titles - for example, a singing society called Akademiska Sangsallskapet was founded in 1838.

YL as an organisation has managed to respond well to challenges posed by each period of time. On the other hand, it has preserved proven traditions. YL has withstood the language strife, years of war and the radicalism of the late 1960s, when the choir criticised for being reactionary. YL is a part of the history of the University of Helsinki and its Student Union. .