Day Five - Trip to Keuruu & Concert
Saturday June 28
We awoke at a decent hour, had breakfast with our host families and met at the university by 10:00 where we loaded the bus and headed to Keuruu Music Camp. On the way to the camp, we stopped at The Old Church of Petäjävesi. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petäjävesi_Old_Church . The church is an impressive example of Finnish wooden architecture. In 1994, this church was inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage List as a representative of the long Scandinavian tradition of skill in wooden architecture and timber structures. Our very own Michael Adams was able to inform all of us, the guide included, what UNESCO stood for. We were all quite impressed! The church was built in 1763-1765, and has remained almost original ever since. There has never been heating in the church and our visit there was quite cold. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like in the winter!
We had a brief explanation given by a docent and then the kids were up and about, taking some pretty interesting pictures which I am sure they can't wait to show you! Before we loaded the bus, they sang No Enemies, No Bombs, Heaven Somewhere, and an Estonian piece. The acoustics in the church were quite interesting, being that it was completely made out of wood. Their voices still sounded beautiful!
After visiting the church, we were back on to the bus, headed to Keuruu Music Camp. This camp was located in the very small town of Keuruu, which reminded Shauna and Bob of a little ski town in Tahoe. The location is actually a middle school that was newly renovated. In speaking with several Finns, they kept mentioning the fact that many of the buildings have problems with mold, because they are insulated so well to keep warm in the winter, but when the slightest bit of moisture gets in, there is then a problem. That is why many of the buildings are being either renovated or rebuilt.
Once we unloaded the bus, we were greeted by our hostess for the rest of the afternoon, and she showed us to our room where we left all our belongings and had lunch. Currently using the space was an instrumental music camp, with many kids running around with their instruments, rehearsing in the classrooms surrounding the main hall. The halls were alive with music for sure!
We were served a traditional Finnish lunch of salad, potatoes and ham, crackers and bread and then we were off to rehearsal with Vox Aurea for our concert that night. The concert took place at the Church of Keuruu, built between the years of 1889 and 1892. It was a very brightly lit church and the acoustics were great. Both choirs rehearsed their massed pieces, Jaakobin Pojat and No Enemies, No Bombs, as well as Shoshonoza, with the incredible "Rain Forest" sound effects added to the beginning. We all then went back to camp for an early dinner of potato carrot soup and some more bread. The kids then had a chance to let loose a little, play some soccer and on the play structure before our final concert with Vox Aurea.
The kids performed beautifully and both choirs were quite pleased, as well as a bit sad, realizing this was their last joint concert for a while, until Vox Aurea comes to visit us in California!!
We loaded back up on the bus and headed back to Jyväskylä for our final night there with our home stays. Some kids went off to have one more sauna and lake night, and others went home to a delicious, warm meal, and then packed their luggage in preparation for the early departure Sunday morning.
The kids had a great day, with lots of fun and some great singing with our Vox Aurea friends. We will really miss staying here.
See link for a video that aired on TV about our visit. Starts at 3:25. http://areena.yle.fi/tv/2316841/
Click through the slideshow below to view some highlights from today:
