After a coolish, rainy day yesterday, we woke to a bright blue sky and moderate temps. It feels delightful as we walk around town.
Our day began with joining the Lahti ward for their Sacrament Meeting at 9 am. It was a very good meeting, with a friendly and welcoming ward. Their two speakers very thoughtfully had written out their talks, and a member read them in pre-translated English so that we could know what was going on. BYU Singers performed “I Am a Child of God” in English as their musical number; that song transcends any language barrier. We left before the second hour as it would have been very cumbersome for them to try to translate all the extemporaneous comments during classes.
Singers had one more rehearsal to ensure all pieces for today were as perfect as possible. There was then a bit of a break to do whatever needed to be done, including eating lunch before a big afternoon. We left the hotel at 3 for the quick drive to Sibelius Hall. Everyone was in high spirits as we took our assigned rows in the hall. By now the choirs recognize each other, and some friendships have been developing. We sat next to that very fine Swedish young women’s choir, and they were delightful.
The first event of the afternoon was the performances of the six choirs requested to perform in the Grand Prize Competition, and then the other awards for previous competitions were announced. BYU Singers sang their Felix Mendelssohn: Ehre sei dem Vater and Spencer Baldwin: The Spirit of God. Spencer, a recent bass with Singers, has written a marvelous piece that brings great Spirit with every performance. Singers gave another stunning performance, and the audience reacted very enthusiastically. The other five choirs were also excellent.
While the stage was set up for the presenting of all the awards, the audience of mostly choirs thoroughly enjoyed themselves making new friends, and dancing to the music that was played in the auditorium.
Finally, the awards were announced. Silver and Gold certificates were given, with a level of excellence within each certificate. BYU Singers took first in the Mixed Choirs competition, with a gold certificate and a very high rating. They also were awarded first in the Sacred Choral Music A Cappella competition. There were some other strong performances, so we took nothing for granted—especially when there was such a variety of choirs in every competition. Ultimately BYU Singers also won the Grand Prize of the Nordic Voices Choir Festival and received a very lovely and interesting wooden sculpture, as well as a very enthusiastic standing ovation from all the other choirs. The Swedish young women came in not very far behind us. As the festival official remarked, music has no boundaries, and brings people closer. We truly believe that. Many new friendships and connections were made in this week’s festival.
Several choirs moved out to the terrace by the lake for photos, and we spent the next hour taking turns holding the Grand Prize award for photos featuring every grouping of people you can think of…and then a few more. Other choirs joined in with us, and the bishop and his wife of the Lahti ward were there as well.
All in all, a very successful stay in Finland!
Dinner will be at 8 at a Viking restaurant, and we’ll be packing up to leave this hotel tomorrow morning. We have had a wonderful five days in Lahti!