A school in Finland has canceled a concert of Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Finnish Baroque Orchestra and the Helsinki Chamber Choir, over concerns that the recital’s Christian themes might offend some students.
Officials with the school hosting the concert in question decided after learning about a case in Hämeenlinna, a Finnish city, where a child objected to songs about the life of Jesus performed at an undisclosed school.
Local outlets reported that the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal decided that non-Christian pupils should be compensated 1,500 euros (or $1,562) for their offense.
However, on Nov. 19, the city’s Education and Welfare Committee voted 6-5 no payment was due to the offended school students.
The show in Hämeenlinna was one of three performances based on faith-filled themes. The first recital was held in 2022, with subsequent recitals in 2023 and 2024. At least one non-religious student watching the 2022 show was purportedly offended.
Finnish news outlet Helsingin Sanomat reported the “religiosity of the concert was not announced in advance, but [the school] apologized after the concert.” It was only the first show accused of being “discriminatory.”
A hymn was removed from the second performance in 2023, and some apparently voiced concerns about a parish choir at the third event.
“The board also found that the educational institution had neglected its obligation to promote equality,” Helsingin Sanomat reported of the choir singing at the performance.
“It held this view, inter alia, because the educational institution did not inform that the choir’s performance had been organized jointly with the congregation.”
Given the experience in Hämeenlinna, the organizers of the yet-to-be-performed concert canceled the event, citing issues with the music’s religious overtones.
“The atmosphere in the chamber choir and baroque orchestra has been shocked by the decision,” Laura Kajander, executive director of the Baroque Orchestra, reportedly said, noting it was the first time she was aware such a cancellation happened. “If concerts are cancelled, it is the children who suffer.”
It’s worth noting that, according to Christian Network Europe, some 65% of Finns still identify as Christians, belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, one of two national churches in the country. Additionally, 32% said they don’t identify with any religious group, per the U.S. Department of State.
