Rajaton is a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

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

word ''rajaton'' means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near

Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

. 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 me ...

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 ''Kanteletar'' is a collection of Finnish folk poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot. It is considered to be a sister collection to the Finnish national epic ''Kalevala''. The poems of ''Kanteletar'' are based on the trochaic tetrameter, generally ...

''.

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& ...

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 gra ...

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 middl ...

: 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 foun ...

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 choruse ...

: Soila Sariola *

Tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing 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 low extreme for tenors is wide ...

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 bu ...

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 ...

: 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 Kal ...

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 dramat ...

'' (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 Kevät is an album by Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released in 2005. The word ''kevät'' means "spring" in Finnish. This Finnish pop album is decidedly different from the previous, more traditional albums. In each of the songs, one mem ...

'' (2005) *'' Out of Bounds'' (2006) *'' Rajaton sings ABBA'' (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 The Lahti Symphony Orchestra (''Sinfonia Lahti'') is a Finnish orchestra, based in the city of Lahti. The orchestra is resident at the Sibelius Hall. The orchestra was founded in 1910, and placed under the control of the Lahti municipality in 194 ...

'' (2008) *'' Best of Rajaton 1999-2009'' (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