Day 9: Rockin’ Around Town

Another tasty breakfast greeted us this morning at the hotel. Stella helped herself to green salad and a croissant, while Isaac said the apple doughnuts were his favorite today. Ayla enjoyed a heaping bowl of yoghurt with granola, and fresh fruit.

After breakfast the singers had three activity choices: walk to the outdoor market and Moomin Shop; use the hotel pool and sauna; or chill in the lobby to rest, read or play quiet games. The biggest group chose the market and had a great time. Lisa said “there were too many things and not enough time!” Laurna and Avi bought rings, and several singers including Josie and Violet bought fresh strawberries. The Moomin shop was a big hit—families, be prepared to receive gifts of Moomin tchotchkes! Only two singers chose to relax in the lobby with chaperone Linda and compete in an unending game of UNO. Four singers went to the pool with chaperone Marina and partook in some poolside yoga before enjoying the sauna.

Singers went up to their hotel rooms for an hour of mandatory rest before lunch since this is a long, busy day. Chaperones Apryl and Rebekah arranged for an enticing array of Chinese food to be shared in the lobby. Today we ate with our chaperone groups and had a chance to reflect on the first half of our tour with a round of “thorn, rose, bud.” Many, many singers’ echoed Karena’s thorn which was saying goodbye to our new Vox Aurea friends from Jyväskylä. Roses from the first part of tour (and from this morning) included June’s “singing My Little Pony in the sauna with Murielle,” and from Bebe, “the second performance of Echoes of Eureka” in Keuruu with Vox Aurea. Felix said his rose was the Moomin Shop. An almost universal bud was going to Laulupidu this weekend! Another very touching bud came from Ela who says they’re really looking forward to seeing their Vox Aurea friends at our own Golden Gate Festival in summer 2026.

After lunch we were met by singers from the Tapiola choir along with their conductors Anna and Kristina for a walking tour. Before leaving the hotel we joined together for Over the Rainbow to say “kiitos” (Finnish for thank you) to the hotel staff. We then headed on foot to the nearby Sibelius Academy music conservatory. We saw various concert halls and learned that students are required to study at least two musical genres on their instrument. Different floors are for different studies, such as folk music, jazz, music management, opera, and musical theater. Alex really liked the jazz and pop music production studio.

We continued on to the public library, a huge modern building that is truly a hub for the community. We saw families, young people, and tourists alike enjoying the spacious venue. A children’s indoor play area, a cafe, listening booths, a board game library, and lounging furniture are just a few of the options this amazing library offers. “I think it’s cool how the Finnish people really value public spaces,” reflected Maeve.

Before our evening concert, we gave the singers some time to recover from a lot of walking on what has been the warmest day of the tour at 25C (77F). Rested, we put on concert uniforms and walked to a restaurant for an early dinner. A buffet of vegetarian and meat pastas, green salad and bread with butter were on offer, and our singers washed it down with lots of that refreshing, pure Finnish tap water.

The Rock Church (or Temple Square Church) is Finland’s most famous church, and was the site of tonight’s shared concert with the Tapiola Choir. This church has the distinction of being both the most modern in Helsinki, having been built by architect brothers in the late 1960s in a very contemporary style, but also the oldest, because it’s built directly into the granite rock that existed there for millennia. The result is an open and light sanctuary with unique acoustics. As you can see from the photos, it really is breathtaking, and the children’s voices rang out exquisitely. After each choir performed its own set (we did Echoes) we combined to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow with Eric conducting. We were also extremely honored to work with Pasi Hyökki, the current artistic director of the Tapiola Choir, for a joint performance of the ethereal Sydämeni laulu by Sibelius.

Tired but fulfilled, we took the short walk in the evening sunlight back to our hotel for our last night in Helsinki. Tomorrow we make our way to Tallinn!