Feature Destination: Scandinavia and the Baltics
Picture a land of small towns with storybook wooden homes and churches, nestled in forests crisscrossed by meandering streams and populated by as many moose as people… This is Småland, the southern Swedish province that is home not only to Pippi Longstocking, the world-famous Swedish children’s book heroine, but also to the International Choral Exchange - Cantate Smaland. Choirs from across Europe gather in Smaland each summer to share their love of music and celebrate midsummer during the nearly endless hours of daylight at that time of year.
The festival is set in the city of Växjö, large enough to have a lively choral scene and an elegant concert hall, yet small enough to preserve a walk able downtown with cafes and shops. The town traces its history back to the Viking era, when it was a great trading center. Today Växjö is known as the capital of the “Kingdom of Crystal”, a region that is home to Sweden’s most famous glassworks.
The 2009 Cantate Småland festival was another great success thanks to the musical talent and enthusiasm of participating choirs from Norway, Sweden, Italy, the U.S., and Germany. The U.S. was represented by the Concert Choir of Christ Congregational Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. No strangers to international travel, the “CCC” singers had visited Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia on their last big concert tour in 2004. The Cantate Småland festival was the choir’s first international trip under the direction of the Church’s new music director and organist Nae Pearson – a wonderful collaboration by all accounts.
Together with a lively Swedish host choir and several Norwegian ensembles, the CCC choir kicked off the festival with a friendship concert in beautiful Hemmesjö Church in front of a packed audience. The next day all participating choirs congregated at the Pukeberg Glassworks to present music to each other, share a traditional Swedish lunch, and celebrate midsummer at the Qvarnaslätt open-air museum in dance and song around the maypole. The festival culminated in a formal concert and festive gala dinner at the Vaxjo concert hall on Saturday evening. Just when it seemed impossible for spirits to rise any higher, a band of Vikings appeared and took the unsuspecting guests on a trip through time that left no eye dry – only later revealing themselves as the Swedish choir that had hosted the kick-off friendship concert.
Following the festival, the CCC choir traveled north to Stockholm to begin their extension concert tour of the Baltic regions. After an enchanting overnight ferry ride through the Stockholm Archipelago and across the Baltic Sea (still with almost 22 hours of daylight), the choir arrived in Riga, the capital of Latvia, the next morning. During a guided tour of the city’s beautiful churches, cobble-stone streets and lively squares, the choir offered an impromptu performance in the Riga Dom (Cathedral), topped off by an organ performance by Nae Pearson. That same evening, the choir performed in front of an appreciative audience in Riga’s ornate Small Guild (a former Hanseatic merchants’ meeting hall), taking turns with the Latvian choir Sonore. After an excursion to Gauja National Park and some free time for individual explorations, the choir continued its journey north to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. As with so many other visitors, the city captivated the choir with its fairy-tale collection of spires, medieval watch towers, city walls, and labyrinth-like cobble-stoned streets. The choir gave its musical tribute to the city with an evening concert at Holy Spirit Church, where they were joined by the church’s resident chamber choir.
A musical highlight of a different kind came the following day, when the choir sang for the residents of a retirement home in Tallinn. It was clear from the response of the residents that most of them would hardly be able to attend a concert outside their home, and the beaming faces and tears of gratitude left many of the CCC singers feeling that this was the most meaningful musical moment on the trip.
Choir performance at the Christianskirke
in Copenhagen, Denmark
