Vancouver Chamber Choir takes audiences on a sonic tour of Finland, November 29

Finnish maestro Kari Turunen has selected a range of pieces old and new for the upcoming concert called Sounds of Finland

Vancouver Chamber Choir presents Sounds of Finland on November 29 at 7:30 pm at Christ Church Cathedral

IF FINNISH MUSIC piques your curiosity but a trip to Helsinki isn’t in the cards, Vancouver Chamber Choir is offering the next best thing. Sounds of Finland is the name and theme of its next concert, taking place on November 29.

The evening’s selections come courtesy the ensemble’s maestro, Kari Turunen, who hails from the town of Joensuu in the Nordic country and grew up in the nation’s south.

Compositions old and new make up the program. Perhaps the most recognizable name to Canadian audiences is Jean Sibelius, whose Rakastava, Op. 14 is on the program alongside works by the likes of Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Juhani Komulainen, Einojuhani Rautavaara, and Riikka Talvitie. Living composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi’s Der Panther will have its world premiere. Bookending the show are folk songs: Ostrobotnian, arranged by Pekka Kostiainen, and Mikko Heiniö’s Three Folksongs for Double Mixed Choir, Op. 28.

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Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is cofounder of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

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