Finland’s only professional choir made Michigan Tech one of their stops for their first tour in America last Sunday night. The Helsinki Chamber Choir performed with 14 members, their conductor, Nils Schweckendiek and the composers, Eugene Birman and Scott Diel. The first part of the performance consisted of traditional Finnish songs. Pamphlets were given out as the audience walked to their assigned seats with translations of the songs so the underlying message could still be understood. Many of the songs had a theme of love hidden inside, however, there were a few that revolved around the darkness of death closing in as well. All of the songs were performed beautifully, no matter what the theme was. The choir was split in half between males and females and the range of notes they could sing was astounding. A few of the men could sing so deep that it felt as if you could feel the vibrations on your skin. Some of the women hit extraordinarily high notes and could hold them for so long it left the audience’s ears ringing. The overall feeling was empowering.
While sitting there listening to the Helsinki Chamber Choir, one could picture oneself walking through an elaborate castle with the music playing in the background. After the 20-minute intermission following the first half, the Helsinki Chamber Choir performed a piece written by Eugene Birman titled, “State of the Union.” He wrote this piece while on Rabbit Island, a small remote piece of land in Lake Superior. State of the Union takes a critical look at the issues in today’s world, especially problems involving the U.S. presidential elections.
It talks about how we treat one another, but addresses the topic in such a harsh way that it serves as a wakeup call. Listening to the Helsinki Chamber Choir perform the piece was confusing at some times. Multiple performers were singing different parts at once, making it hard to focus on just one person’s voice. At one point a megaphone was brought out on stage for the performance as well. The confusing arrangement of the music added to the motif of the show.
After the show, Nils Schweckendiek, the conductor, was generous enough to impart some of his thoughts to the Lode. When asked about his main accomplishment regarding the Helsinki Chamber Choir, Schweckendiek said, “I want people to respond emotionally to our music. I want them to hear it and be touched somewhere inside and hopefully they can feel an emotion they haven’t understood, but this time, it’s clear. I want them to reflect emotionally and consider how the music has impacted them.” If you didn’t see the Helsinki Chamber Choir in person, I would highly suggest looking them up and listening to a song or two. Otherwise, next time you find a song you really enjoy, look deep inside yourself and figure out why it speaks to you.
