Behind-the-mic at the EWVS 2025:

Jaana Turunen (EMT), is a professional musician based in Kuopio, Eastern Finland. She is a singing teacher, vocal coach, and choir conductor with over 25 years of experience in the field. She earned her Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy (University of the Arts Helsinki) in 1998 and has also pursued studies in the Master’s program of Arts Management at the same university. She became an Estill Master Trainer in 2015.

Jana’s diverse career began in 1992 and includes roles as a church musician (1992–2010 in the Helsinki area and Tampere), choir conductor (since 1992), singer (since 1995), and singing and music teacher (since 2002). She has also worked as an arts manager (since 2007) and entrepreneur (since 2009). In addition to performing, she is actively involved in concert and record production as well as administrative work.

Though classically trained, Jana teaches a wide range of vocal styles, including contemporary commercial music. She is the artistic director of three choirs: VIMMA-kuoro, Vox Polaris, and the male choir Kuopio-Kvartetti.

In 2009, she founded her own music school, Maestra, in Kuopio. Through Maestra, she has developed innovative approaches to group singing education and provides voice training, music activities, and performances for workplaces.

At the symposium, Jaana will present on “Balancing between Craft and Artistry as a Chorus Master within a Limited Rehearsal Period,“ focusing on how does one train singers from very different backgrounds to become a symphony choir in a short four-month rehearsal period. The presentation is based on the Kuopio City Orchestra concert in December 2024, which featured Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Ode to Joy.

Her task as chorus master was a) to train the diverse singers during the four-month rehearsal period to sing their parts in the required way and to sound like a symphony choir, b) to help them sing their parts written in an uncomfortably high vocal range, and c) to produce a vocal voice powerful enough to carry over the roar of the orchestra. Success in this task required careful time management and balancing craft and artistry.

★ Join us at the Estill World Voice Symposium 2025! Come experience inspiring presentations like this one — and so much more — live in Chicago from July 27–29, 2025. Get your tickets here and visit the official symposium page for all the details, including speakers, performers, and schedule. We can’t wait to welcome you!