The sounds of Scandinavia and the Baltic come to Southland when Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC), led by Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson, hosts a highly anticipated international choral exchange with the renowned Estonian TV Girls’ Choir and Finland’s Vox Aurea (“The Golden Voice”) culminating with a free concert featuring all three choirs on Wednesday, July 22, 7 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Vox Aurea, led by Sanna Salminen, makes its first Southland appearance since 2009, thrilling audiences with a range of traditional Finnish folk songs and classical selections that evoke the peaceful and expansive landscape of Scandinavia. The Estonian TV Girls’ Choir, under the direction of Aarne Saluveer, has collaborated with such acclaimed Estonian composers as Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Urmas Sisask and Tõnis Mägi and also performs regional folk music as well as contemporary jazz and pop music. LACC previously performed with both choirs during its 2010 tour to the Baltic region and Scandinavia.
“We are delighted to welcome to L.A. and showcase the incredible artistry of Vox Aurea and the Estonian TV Girls’ Choir,” says Tomlinson. “We enjoyed our previous collaborations with these remarkable choirs and look forward to another meaningful exchange. LACC has a long history of hosting international choirs, which enables our choristers to have impactful cultural experiences while providing us the opportunity to present in Los Angeles some of the best children’s choirs in the world.”
Vox Aurea, founded in 1968 and based in Jyväskylä, Finland, has performed around the globe for audiences in the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Greece, South Korea, Latvia, Belgium and Spain, and has recorded numerous CDs, which include both classical works and extremely demanding modern choral repertoire. The singers, who range in age from 11 to 18, participate in training choirs then undergo rigorous auditions before joining Vox Aurea. The choir was founded by music educator Torsten Lindfors and was previous led by Kari Ala-Pöllänen and Pekka Kostiainen. Sanna Salminen was named conductor in 2009. It is considered among Finland’s leading choirs.
The Estonian TV Girls’ Choir is among the top choirs in Estonia, a tiny European nation long known for it strong choral traditions. Led by Aarne Saluveer since its inception in 1990, the choir grew out of the Children’s Television Music Studio. The choir, with singers ages 15-25, has appeared at numerous international festivals, including La Fabbrica del Canto in Italy, Polyfollia in France and Sympaatti in Finland, and has worked with British composer Roxanna Panufnik and renowned composer and conductor Eric Whitacre, among others. In 2001, the chorus was named best female choir and the best choir at the International Competition of Choral Music in Gorizia, Italy. In 2005, the choir won First Prize in the youth category of EBU International Choir Competition “Let The People Sing.”
The July 22 concert is free and seating is on a first come first served basis. Pasadena Presbyterian Church, located at 585 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California 91101. For information on Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, please call (626) 793-4231 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org.
