A school in Finland has cancelled a concert of Handel’s “Messiah” performed by the Finnish Baroque Orchestra and the Helsinki Chamber Choir over concerns the recital’s Christian themes might offend some students.
Officials with the school hosting the concert in question made the decision 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. Ultimately, the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal decided the non-Christian pupils should be compensated 1,500 euros (or $1,562) for their offense, local outlets reported.
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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 cancelled the event, citing issues with the religious overtones in the music.
“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 some 65% of Finns still identify as Christians, belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, one of two national churches in the country, Christian Network Europe reported. Additionally, 32% said they don’t identify with any religious group, per the U.S. Department of State.
All of this comes as former Finnish PM Päivi Räsänen is embroiled in what has become a years-long legal battle after she shared a Bible verse on social media.
She weighed in on the compensation conflict in Hämeenlinna and the recent concert cancellation, arguing the decision to remove the performance from the schedule defied common sense.
“Compensation payment of 1,500 euros for discrimination when a non-religious child accidentally heard a song about Jesus,” she wrote in an X post on Oct. 31. “Has the use of common sense disappeared? At the same time, schools celebrate Halloween with witches and zombie characters. How can a song about Jesus be perceived as so dangerous?”
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