The Audite Chamber Choir celebrates its 30th anniversary with a concert of six newly composed works, Voices of Earth. The independent pieces form a whole reflecting the many facets of the natural world and humanity’s relationship to it, commenting on the climate crisis and its effects, and reminding us of our responsibility for the environment we live in. The concerts are directed by Jani Sivén, with visuals by lighting designer Ainu Palmu.

Markku Klami: into the deep peace

Anna Huuskonen: Consider The Sea

Matthew Whittall: The Geography of Hope

Finn Shields: Kun tulet vihreään

Jani Sivén: The Earth does not belong to man

Alex Freeman: Light

Voices of Earth invites the audience to range through the mountain landscapes of the Sierra Nevada and wander into the comforting green of the forest. Dive under the ocean, where marine life is threatened by tons of plastic waste. We are joined on the open prairie by ground squirrels, coyotes and snakes, whose wilderness habitat is set against pollution, mining activity and urbanization.

We will run our fingers over the myriad crags of an ancient pine tree's bark, dry Mother Earth's tears and be reminded of our burden of stewardship over our world. At the end, we look to the sky at sunrise, as the light rising from the earth glints off the wings of a flock of geese: an image of hope and enduring optimism amid humanity's currently dubious choices.

The concert's patron is Minister of the environment, Maria Ohisalo. This anniversary year is supported by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, The Uusimaa fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the Alfred Kordelin Foundation. The concert will be recorded for broadcast by the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle.