Rajaton is a Finnish

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

ensemble, founded in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

in 1997. The Finnish word ''rajaton'' means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop. Rajaton performs primarily in Finland but also tours around Europe and the rest of the world, having performed in over 25 countries. In 2005, Rajaton album sales reached 100,000 worldwide. They have earned eight

gold records Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in total, with ''Rajaton Sings ABBA'' reaching platinum (30,000) and ''Joulu'' reaching double platinum (60,000). Rajaton mainly performs a cappella, music written or arranged by members of the ensemble. Most lyrics are taken from poetry and from a collection of Finnish folk poetry '' Kanteletar''.

Members

The six members of the group are: *

Soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Essi Wuorela Essi Wuorela is a Finnish soprano. She is an original member of the ensemble Rajaton, founded in 1997, but also began a solo career in 1994. She studied music at Sibelius High School and later Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory, from which she gr ...

Mezzo-Soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

: Aili Ikonen (was:

Virpi Moskari Virpi Moskari is a Mezzo-soprano, and a founder member of the Finnish a cappella group, Rajaton. Biography Moskari attended the East Helsinki Music School, learning how to play the violin and piano; undertaking voice training later. She was a fou ...

until 2017) *

Alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

: Soila Sariola *

Tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

Hannu Lepola Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word ''rajaton'' means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop. Rajaton performs primarily in Finland but ...

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

: Ahti Paunu *

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Jussi Chydenius Jussi Chydenius (born 30 December 1972) is a Finnish musician and composer. He is best known for singing bass in the vocal ensemble Rajaton. He is the son of composer Kaj Chydenius and director Kaisa Korhonen. His brother is music producer Ka ...

Discography

*''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

'' (2000) *''

Boundless Boundless may refer to: * ''Boundless'' (album), a 2001 album by Rajaton * Boundless (company), an American textbook company * ''Boundless'' (video game), a video game * ''Boundless'' (Canadian TV series), a reality TV series * ''Boundless'' (S ...

'' (2001) *''

Sanat Sanat is the third album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released in 2002. The word ''sanat'' means "words" in Finnish, and "heals" in Latin. The album consists of sacred Christian songs and features music in Finnish, Latin, English, and ...

'' (2002) *''

Joulu Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indig ...

'' (2003) *'' Kevät'' (2005) *''

Out of Bounds In sports, out of bounds (or out-of-bounds) refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. Due to the chaotic nature of play, it is normal in many sports for players and/or the ball to go out of bounds frequently during a game. T ...

'' (2006) *''

Rajaton sings ABBA Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word ''rajaton'' means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop. Rajaton performs primarily in Finland but ...

'' (2006) *'' Maa'' (2007) *''Rajaton sings

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

with Lahti Symphony Orchestra'' (2008) *''

Best of Rajaton 1999-2009 Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

'' (2009) *''Tarinoita'' (2010) *''Jouluyö'' (2011) *''Suomen Lasten Lauluja'' (2012) *''Salaisuus'' (2016) *''Tuhansien Laulujen Maa'' (2017) *''Ja niin on taasen joulu'' (2019)

References

External links

official Rajaton website

The Recorded A Cappella Review Board
��reviews of Rajaton CDs
Rajaton Fan Club
��free forum for Rajaton discussion and information {{Authority control Finnish musical groups Professional a cappella groups Sibelius Academy alumni