What do single expats in Helsinki do after work?

[nebelstreif]

Hey there,

I just moved to Helsinki to work recently. For someone from big city like Beijing where there are so many people and life there is always busy, i feel a bit lonely, plus am really new here.
I used to sing in a private choir in Beijing for fun, with our members from all over the world. I also learnt a bit of swing dance, but had to quit since i was moving here.
Am now in great need of finding social/group life in Helsinki.
So, any of you know of an international choir group in town? Not too professional, just to get together and enjoy singing and hanging out. Or is there any kind of group for foreigners and open minded local people doing some activites together for leisure life?
Days here are really long, and everything is closed on holidays. Life is hard without friends...
Would like to make new friends and explore the city!
thanx and cheers!!

[Jukka Aho]

I used to sing in a private choir in Beijing for fun, with our members from all over the world. I also learnt a bit of swing dance, but had to quit since i was moving here. Am now in great need of finding social/group life in Helsinki. So, any of you know of an international choir group in town? Not too professional, just to get together and enjoy singing and hanging out.

Not sure of international choirs, but if you don’t mind joining a Finnish one, here’s a list you might want to study.

Finland has quite an active and lively choir “culture” so you have plenty of options to choose from. To some extent, the choice would come down to your age and whether you’re a male or a female, as some choirs are mixed and some others female-only or male-only, and yet some others are targeted primarily for people of certain age.

Some choirs will accept new members year-round while some others have set dates for their entrance tests. (The entrance test is where you’d be required to sing a bit to prove you’re not totally tone-deaf, and also to determine your voice type (range).) If there are set dates for such entrance tests you will usually find them on the choir’s website but I guess it still wouldn’t hurt asking if you could possibly join a choir outside those dates.

The level of professionalism varies wildly but even many hobbyist-level choirs do occasional trips to other countries. (Which are usually quite fun, as I’ve understood it. My siblings have been singing in various choirs for years.)

I think you’d be most likely to find “international” people in the various student choirs. You don’t necessarily need to be a student to join one.