The Student Choir Won First Place in Two Categories and Was Named Grand Prize Winner at the Nordic Voices Choir Festival in Lahti, Finland.
When BYU Singers were announced as the Grand Prize winners of the Nordic Choir Festival in Lahti, Finland, the moment meant more than a successful performance abroad.
During the choir’s May 12-27 European tour, students sang alongside choirs representing a variety of countries, cultures and faith traditions. From sweeping the competition in Finland to collaborating with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and local nonprofits in Austria, BYU Singers used music to build connections.
At the Nordic Voices Choir Festival, the BYU Singers competed against twenty-two choirs from a variety of nations, including Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey and the United States. Performances took place in Finland’s Sibelius Hall, which Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald named as one of the 10 best concert halls in the world.
BYU Singers earned first-place honors in the Mixed Choirs category and in the Sacred Music A Cappella category. After evaluating each of the competing choirs, an international jury from Belgium, Finland and the United Kingdom declared BYU Singers as the Grand Prize winners. The distinction carried with it a prize of 1,000 Euros and a beautiful trophy.
In Austria, the singers performed in Vienna and Salzburg while collaborating with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and local nonprofits.
Macey Fisher, a student in the School of Music who sings alto II in BYU Singers, said meeting people from faiths around the world who also worship through music was enriching. Fisher said she is grateful BYU creates opportunities for students to learn and grow abroad.
“I grew up loving choir and being at BYU has helped me figure out how I can make that part of my future career as a musician and as a teacher,” Fisher said. “Meeting choralists from different religions and countries has helped me to see how unifying choir can be.”
Seeing music’s unifying power in action motivates Fisher to continue incorporating the art into her life and service.
In Vienna, Austria, Fisher had the opportunity to sing in a benefit concert organized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a local non-profit, which she said was a special experience.
“Representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we got to raise money for those in need,” Fisher said. “I’m so blessed to be able to serve people through what we're learning here at BYU.”
While in Salzburg, Fisher and the group visited a Latter-day Saint stake center that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf was setting apart. Speaking with the students, the Apostle shared a message about the powerful impact of gratitude.
“Elder Uchtdorf explained that gratitude trumps everything,” Fisher said. “When we are grateful and focus on expressing that gratitude in our lives, we will feel so much love, belonging and joy.”
Fisher said she carried Elder Uchtdorf’s message with her throughout the remainder of the tour.
“My heart was just full of gratitude and full of love for the people that we got to meet and the experiences that we got to have on tour,” Fisher said.
Finishing the tour in Germany, the group participated in the Musika Sacra International Festival, which celebrates major religions from across the world, while singing songs from their faith.
One of Fisher’s favorite moments performing in Germany was one of the closing pieces, an original setting of “The Spirit of God” by Spencer Baldwin.
“I always get emotional during that song because it represents loving the Lord, putting our hope and trust in Him and feeling joy as we worship Him,” Fisher said.
Sharing that sentiment through song and being surrounded by other people who love Christ were meaningful aspects of the trip for Fisher.
“I was able to connect with so many people from different nationalities, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds,” Fisher said. “The Spirit brought us together as we sang songs worshiping God, and it impressed upon me that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love all of Their children.”
Angie Whiting is a vocal performance major and the student president of BYU Singers. For Whiting, seeing so many of God’s children embrace Christ was empowering.
“I was following His invitation, along with many others, choosing to come unto Him and feel His love,” Whiting said.
Sharing songs sacred to her faith was motivating, and she realized that music welcoming the Spirit belongs even in the most prestigious musical venues. For many concerts, the choir’s encore piece was “I Am a Child of God,” which was impactful for Whiting.
“My favorite part of each concert was being able to look into the audience member’s eyes and testify that you are a child of God, and that He wants to lead you, guide you and bring you home,” Whiting said.
Whiting felt uplifted as she watched this message resonate with audience members who were tearing up or singing along.
During their last night in Germany, members of BYU Singers were at a cafe with instruments and a mic set up, and they started playing music. Pretty soon, members from other choirs joined in, and the musical groups spent hours united together in song and dance.
“Seeing so many people from different cultures united over something as simple as jazz cemented in me the truth that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father who loves when we create communities,” Whiting said.
Whiting described the moment as “a unification of hearts that could not speak the same language but understood the language of music and joy.”
Using music to create unity and foster the Spirit was a spiritually uplifting experience for Whiting.
“Mosiah 2:17 says that when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are in the service of your God. The many different service opportunities on this tour helped me understand the truth of that scripture — that God is pleased when we are serving His children,” Whiting said.
See more of BYU Singer’s trip across Europe by visiting the group's official tour blog. Watch the video below to hear BYU Singers perform "Let It Be You" by Brent Wells.