The Aesthetic Frequency
The Complaint Choir
By Ryan Simmons

The Complaint Choir of Chicago Photo By Clare Britt

When Smog Veil isn't blazing a green trail, what bands do they work with? Their commitment to sonic eclecticism has meant that they've worked with some very unusual bands over the years, but even by their standards, The Complaint Choir is unique.

Imagine a huge choir assembling themselves in the town square, and singing out something beautiful and melodic, something that would be at home in either a concert venue or a cathedral. Now imagine that the lyrics to this stirring tune are a list of complaints.
The Helsinki Complaints Choir Photo by Heidi Piiroinen

“My job doesn't pay enough” they might sing, or “the bus is too infrequent!” It manages to be perfectly musical even though the volunteers are exhorted that no musical talent is required. It manages to be fun and cathartic even though it's an airing of grievances. It's also hilarious.

The Complaint Choir is the brainchild of artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kotcha Kalleinen, who started the first choirs in Finland and have since taken their project worldwide. Complaint Choirs have been organized in Philadelphia; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala. and more, all consisting of local volunteers directed by the artists. Their shows have solid out in Chicago,
received prominent media coverage and are on their way to becoming a minor YouTube phenomenon.

Smog Veil is currently working with the artists to produce a documentary on the history of the Complaint Choir movement, set to premiere later this year. The documentary, directed by Ada Bilgaard Soby, will show the movement across three continents and hopes to find a deeper understanding of the human phenomenon of complaint.

While each choir has a culturally specific nature, such as the Chicago Complaint Choir's verses about the notoriously underfunded and unreliable Chicago Transit Authority, Kotcha says that he's found one important similarity across all nations through his work with this project. People complain just as much wherever he goes, whether Germany, Iceland, or America. Cultural pressure to think positive, Kotcha maintains, is unhealthy and even tyrannical.

For more info, go to: complaintschoir.org.