Rajaton is a Finnish

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

ensemble, founded in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

in 1997. The Finnish 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 in total, with ''Rajaton Sings ABBA'' reaching platinum (30,000) and ''Joulu'' reaching double platinum (60,000).''Rajaton Sings ABBA'' at AllMusic
/ref> 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 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

: Essi Wuorela *

Mezzo-Soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

: Aili Ikonen (was: Virpi Moskari 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 four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

: Soila Sariola *

Tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

: Hannu Lepola *

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

: Ahti Paunu *

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

: Jussi Chydenius

Discography

*''

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

'' (2000) *'' Boundless'' (2001) *'' Sanat'' (2002) *'' Joulu'' (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. The legality of going out of bounds (intentionally or not), and the ease of prevention, vary by sport. Sports that use this term include Am ...

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

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

with

Lahti Symphony Orchestra The Lahti Symphony Orchestra (''Sinfonia Lahti'') is a Finland, 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 municipali ...

'' (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 Finnish musical groups Professional a cappella groups Sibelius Academy alumni {{Finland-band-stub