Ensembles Tour to Europe

Chamber Orchestra: Czech Republic, Austria & Italy

The BYU Chamber Orchestra toured the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy from April 29 through May 12, 2022, and gave eight concerts throughout the tour. The group tours every few years, and each trip is an opportunity for musicians to grow and communicate with their audiences through the universal language of music.

The BYU Chamber Orchestra traveled to Vienna, and had the chance to see the Vienna Philharmonic perform live in concert. The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the world’s top orchestral groups. Listening to the Vienna Philharmonic perform live was not only a bucket list item for many orchestra members, but also an important and precious learning experience for the musicians.

In Vienna, the group performed in Minoritenkirche, a gothic cathedral built in the thirteenth century. They also performed a humanitarian concert for Ukrainian refugees. The concert was titled “A Musical Prayer for Ukraine” and one of the pieces performed was a famous Ukrainian piece, “Melody,” by Myroslav Skoryk. It was an emotional concert for both the musicians and the audience. Click here to listen to watch the Chamber orchestra perform “Melody.”

While in Rome, Italy, the orchestra had the opportunity to perform at the Rome Temple Visitor Center. They performed “A Child’s Prayer.” The group’s final performance of the tour was at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, one of the oldest universities in history.

Men’s Chorus: Sweden, Estonia & Latvia

The BYU Men’s Chorus toured Sweden, Latvia, and Estonia from May 19 through May 24, 2022. Men’s Chorus participated in the “Festival of Three” tour. Three of the highest performing collegiate-level choirs participated in the festival: an all men’s group (BYU Men’s Chorus), all women’s group (Texas Women’s University Concert Choir), and a combined group (Iowa State Singers).

The first stop was in Sweden. The choirs toured Stockholm and performed in the Stockholm (Storkyrkan) Cathedral. There, they made friends with members of the Stockholm Cathedral Youth Choir.

After arriving in Tallinn, Estonia, they headed to their first rehearsal and concert at the Kaarli Church in Tallinn.

While in Tallinn the choir also had the opportunity to perform a couple of hymns in a sacrament meeting.

The last leg of the tour was spent in Latvia. As in the other countries they visited, the choir saw beautiful historical sights and were privileged to sing in cathedrals in Riga and Cesis. The highlight of Latvia and the culmination of the entire tour was their opportunity to participate in the world premiere of a new three movement choral piece, “Naming the Rain,” written by renowned composer Ēriks Ešenvalds. Click here to watch a clip of one of their performances!

BYU Singers: Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

The Brigham Young University Singers toured to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from May 1 through May 17, 2022.

The Singers’ tour first took them to Estonia. In Tallinn, the group performed in church for the local congregation, singing “God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son,” and “I Am a Child of God’’ (with the last verse in Estonian). They also gave a devotional for members and the community. At the devotional, they continued to perform faith-based songs, including “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” sung in Ukrainian and “I Am a Child of God.”

The group also participated in service while they were in Tallinn at a local orphanage.

The Singers collaborated with other choirs to perform jointly in St. John’s church. They all worked on a piece in Estonian which created a sense of camaraderie with the other choirs.

At their concert in Tartu, Estonia, the Singers performed a piece by Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek, as well as some upbeat American music. When the choir pulled out their percussion and bongo drums, one audience member stood up and danced to their song.

After spending a few days in Estonia, the Singers traveled to Latvia. There, the Singers quickly learned songs in Latvian, often on the day of the concert, to perform for the local audiences.

They also had the opportunity to work personally with Eriks Ešenvalds, an up-and-coming Latvian composer. Having already performed some of his works, the choir enjoyed getting the composer’s take on the music.

Outside of formal performances, the Singers also took time to perform in church services, singing hymns in the native tongue of both Latvian and Russian members. After each performance, both formal and vocational, the Singers took time to meet with their audiences and enjoyed the opportunity to make new friends.

On the last leg of the tour, the choir traveled to Klaipėda University in Lithuania, where they participated in a choral competition. The BYU Singers won first place in every division they participated in: Mixed Choir, Sacred Music, and Folk Song. They also won two special awards, the first for Best Performance of a Contemporary Piece and the second for the compulsory piece that all the choirs performed. They also won the Grand Prix prize and the Amber award. Click here to watch the performance that won the “Best Performance of the Compulsory Piece” prize.

Collectively, the BYU Singers gave fifteen concerts. In each city and performance, the Singers’ geared their music toward their audience, always striving to create a shared connection through their music.