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Finnish TAIKA-choir at Korzo in The Hague

Last weekend I was invited to photograph the performance of the female only TAIKA- choir in the Hague. The concert is one of the many celebrations around the world for Finlands 100years of independence. The concert was called 100 Finnish Summers.

TAIKA (Finnish for Magic) was established five years ago by Karla Maria Toiviainen, a Finnish graduate from the Sibelius Academy, conductor and music educator. Under her guidance the choir has grown to strong group of dedicated singers, performing internationally. Soon they will visit Verona, Italy for a choir festival.

Karla-Maria leads the coir with lot’s of charisma and grace. She has expressive way of conducting and I loved observing her body language in how she motivates, praises and encourages her singers.

During the rehearsal I was walking around the room and photographing the choir from different angles. I even sat down on the floor in between of them. That gave me quite an unforgettable experience of being emerged by powerful singing voices, it sounds very different than listening form distance.

The repertoire was wide, from folk to popmusic and with emphasis on Finnish female choral music. For me as a Finn, one of the most touching pieces was their version of “Suvivirsi” which traditionally in Finland marks the start of the summer and is always performed at the end-of-the school-year concerts around the county. Oh, the memories of long, long summers brought by this song. Grab your chance and visit one of TAIKA’s concerts if you have a chance in the future….and like me if you have never been to a choir concert, maybe something to add on your bucket list.

www.taikachoir.nl

 

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