In spring 2020, when cultural activities were widely restricted, singers Maikki Säikkä, Marika Kivinen, Mats Lillhannus, and Kristoffer Malm decided to find a way to break the silence and continue singing. Their work soon became established, and the ensemble took its name from its founding year: MMXX. The group primarily performs Renaissance polyphony.

In August 2021, the ensemble performed Josquin Desprez’s masterpiece Missa Pange Lingua at Turku Cathedral, marking 500 years since the composer’s death. Since autumn 2022, the ensemble has organised lunchtime concerts at Turku Cathedral every other Monday from 12:00 to 12:15. In February 2026, the group held its 85th lunchtime concert.

The current line-up of the ensemble is Maikki Säikkä, soprano; Marika Kivinen, alto; Mats Lillhannus, tenor; Janne Merisaari, bass. The singers work as freelancers and have previously collaborated in ensembles such as Camerata Aboensis and Key Ensemble. Ensemble MMXX operates mainly in the Turku region and collaborates with the Swedish-speaking parish of Turku. The group has performed, among other events, at the Aboagora Symposium in 2023, in concerts at Lieto Church in 2024 and Pargas Church in 2023 and 2024, as well as at the Aurore Festival in Helsinki in January 2026.

The ensemble has also performed works from the collections of the historic Cathedral School of Turku in its lunchtime concerts. The group’s tenor, musicologist Mats Lillhannus, has conducted archival research that has informed the ensemble’s repertoire choices.

Between 2022 and 2026, the group has received funding for its lunchtime concert activities from Konstsamfundet and the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.