The Helsinki Early Music Society (Collegium Musicae Antiqvae Helsingiense, CMAH) was founded in 1977 "to connect people with an interest in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music together, to increase the range of interest in early music, and to distribute knowledge about early music". After years of miscellaneous efforts our activities have taken shape into the following forms:
Education
We organize early music courses and workshops. The most important of them is the summer course held annually in July. The course is intended for musicians of all skill levels and ages.
Ensembles
Since 1982 we have maintained a permanent Renaissance ensemble for members interested in playing early instruments. Our ensemble is introduced on the Renaissance ensembles. In 2020 baroque orchestra Amore Barocco has joined us. It is open to everybody interested in playing baroque music.
Members interested in founding an ensemble of their own can get support from the Society, for instance, in arranging performance opportunities. The support is provided on the condition that the group returns some part of their income to the Society.
Music library
We also maintain a lending library of early music. All members are free to borrow the notes and the books from the library. The library catalogue is on the Music Library pages (In the Finnish pages only). Whenever the economic situation allows, we acquire new books or music to the library.
Performances
We are happy to perform in all kinds of events. We arrange performance opportunities for our members and other early musicians. We also forward performance request to our members if required. For more information, contact Markku Åberg.
Events
We have a formal meeting once a year and some unofficial meetings and parties.
News
We publish a (e)newsletter whenever concerts, educational opportunities and other important events arise. Our Facebook-group is CMAH – Helsingin vanhan musiikin seura.
Cooperation
We keep in touch with other early music organizations in Finland and abroad. If you have some form of cooperation in mind, do not hesitate to contact us. We are a member of SVAMULI (The Finnish Early Music Association).
Organization
Our staff consists of Markku Åberg , president since 1977, and the board of members elected yearly at our annual meeting.