Complaining to music is a performance art with a growing audience. Lyrical and funny, these choirs captivate listeners with lyrics that strike to the heart of our everyday lives.
If you listen to these choirs perform in their own languages and read
the English subtitles, you will see an amazing commonality of
complaints. We seem to have the same dreams and we are frustrated in
trying to achieve them, even if it is only trying to live a quiet life
and be loved.
It all got started by Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen in
Helsinki. They discussed the possibility of transforming the huge
energy people put into complaining into something powerful like music. They have created an amazing outpouring of creativity in many different countries.
I wrote an article about this last November, but now they’ve gone worldwide. Everything you ever wanted to know about Complaints Choirs, including how to organize one can be found on this site. There are now 10 operational Complaints Choirs and the number keeps on growing.
I think the Hamburg Complaints Choir is one of the most enjoyable, although the Complaints Choir of the Poikkilaakson Elementary School is a close second.
Even the Mayor of Bodø in Northern Norway is performing with their Complaints Choir! Check out his ceremonial necklace.
The St Petersburg Choir is truly the saddest, although their singers have their bright and cheerful moments as you can see in the picture at the beginning of this article.
Complaints Choirs are currently forming in London, Pittsburgh, Juneau, Gabriola Island off Vancouver Island, and at Penn State University.
Tired of not being heard? Form a Complaints Choir and get on YouTube!