Keble Choir Visits Finland

The Keble Choir before their concert at Turku Cathedral

Christopher Bucknall, Director of Music, writes:

After a fruitful year of regular Chapel services, topped up by exciting events including the Keble Early Music Festival this February, Keble Chapel Choir celebrated the end of the academic year with a whistlestop visit to the charming city of Turku, Finland. With some members of the choir finishing their degrees only a few hours before starting their travels, this action-packed tour presented an apt way of celebrating the intensity of the academic year.

Members of the Choir enjoying the Finnish sunset

As the bulk of our choir arrived on Friday evening, marking the end of the year over a drink watching the Finnish sunset, a small group left Oxford for their overnight stay at Heathrow before their swift travel the next day. Saturday saw the choir sing at a Keble alumnus’ wedding, where we were welcomed with generous hospitality — some choir members even managed to impress guests with their ballroom dancing.

The 13th century Turku Cathedral provided a sonically and historically full-bodied backdrop for our choir

Following a chance to soak in Turku town, a productive afternoon of detailed rehearsal preceded a concert at Turku Cathedral put on by our choir. The building’s rich history dating back to the 13th century (and involving rebuilding from the Great Fire of Turku) provided a sonically and historically full-bodied backdrop for our choir, with our two organ scholars being treated by the organ’s impressive horizontal ‘en chamade’ trumpet stops. The choir showed flair in their celebration of British choral works, ranging from 16th-century polyphony in William Byrd’s ‘Vigilate’ to a contemporary setting of George Herbert’s poem ‘The Call’ by Gail Randall.

A final evening in Turku town gave the choir a chance to unwind after a chorally intensive weekend, giving our leavers and director Chris a jolly send-off as our time together comes to a close.