This summer, I had the opportunity to join select members of the University of North Florida’s choir members on their tour of Finland, Latvia and Estonia. Until May, I had never ventured outside the U.S. before, so for me, this was an opportunity of a lifetime.

The study abroad program was led by the talented Dr. Cara Tasher, Director of Choral Programs at UNF and Dr. Jeff Chamberlain, who sang in the chamber ensemble. 

Despite my lack of experience with cameras, Dr. Tasher gave me the responsibility to document the choir through pictures and videos. From jogging down cobblestone streets to retrieve a lost SD card to tip-toeing around some of Europe’s oldest performance venues, hoping I wouldn’t be seen or heard by the audience — my journey as the choir’s tour photographer taught me a lot about myself — and the hidden gem that is the UNF Choral Program.

A singing adventure

Our first stop was Helsinki, Finland, where the singers performed their first concert of the tour. We headed to St. John’s Church, which was just a short drive from our hotel in the heart of Helsinki. There, we met the Sibelius Chamber Choir, who joined UNF singers for a short rehearsal and concert.

After the concert, the Finnish singers joined us for a social backstage. Zoey Zancara, a music education student in the chamber ensemble, said that getting to meet and connect with choirs from different countries was something she’d never forget.

“It was such a blessing… to travel to Finland and the Baltic states and share music with each other,” she said.

If there’s one thing I learned on this tour, it’s that the UNF chamber singers will always find a way to sing their hearts out. All of our dinners, commutes and walking tours featured at least one surprise performance for the locals. After the choir’s spontaneous performance in the Helsinki Cathedral, One Finnish woman expressed her sincere gratitude to Dr. Tasher and the group. 

“Thank you so much for this experience… I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting this,” she said. 

Over the next eight days, I followed the choir across the Baltic Sea to Tartu, Estonia, then to Riga, Latvia and then back to Estonia’s beautiful capital city, Tallinn, for the final performance and dinner. 

In addition to nighttime concerts in each city, the choir visited the Latvian Song and Dance festival grounds and rehearsed some of their repertoire. The 150-year old festival brings together tens of thousands of Latvian people every five years to celebrate the country’s long fight for independence. 

Some favorite memories were times spent with the choirs from each of the different countries. UNF 2024 vocal performance graduate, Cora-Grace Smith, said that performing and learning with new cultures was something she’d never forget. 

“Learning the diction of foreign language lyrics is one thing, but getting to hear native speakers speak and sing the lyrics is another,” Smith said. “[It] was like peering into what my life would be like if I lived on the other side of the globe.”

Smith said she is grateful for all the experiences that the choral program has provided to her and will pursue a post-baccalaureate performer’s certificate at UNF next fall. 

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Madelyn Schneider

UNF singers rehearse alongside the Tartu Youth Choir in the St. John’s Church before their joint concert.

Of course, singing was at the heart of the UNF singers’ tour, but there were other parts of our adventure that took my breath away— even more than the choir’s performances. 

Together in harmony

I never thought that a group of thirty people I had just learned the names of would make me feel more accepted than ever before. My ten days abroad with the UNF singers taught me what it means to be part of a community built on compassion and open-mindedness. 

I also learned community from the residents of Finland and the Baltic countries. The current Russo-Ukrainian war has led neighboring countries like Finland, Latvia and Estonia to fly the Ukrainian flag as high as their own, since each of the Baltic states have fought for their own independence from Russia at one time or another. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

Madelyn Schneider

A sign outside a cafe in Tallinn, Estonia reads: “Dear Putin, let’s speed up to the part where you kill yourself in a bunker.”

The Baltic countries put aside their differences and stand together when it matters most. Freedom and unity was something you couldn’t miss in Estonia and Latvia. This idea reigned true at all levels it seemed; every Finn, Estonian or Latvian welcomed our group with open arms. Our Estonian tour manager, Raul, bent over backwards to make our tour go as smoothly as possible, all while entertaining us with his unique sense of humor.

Our Lithuanian bus driver, Sergei, didn’t know much English, but Raul taught us —along with many other things— how to thank Sergei in Lithuanian. Our last night in Estonia, Sergei and Raul joined us for dinner as our new friends. Ačiū, Sergei and aitäh, Raul!

As I boarded my early-morning flight out of Tallinn the next morning, I thought of how strange it was for an opportunity like this to fall into my lap. Who was I to be a the UNF choir’s tour photographer? I’m an English student with no experience in photography. I’ve never been out of the country before. I had never met anyone in the choir before this tour. I just received an email one day that asked for help. 

So help; next time you see an opportunity, take it— regardless of the circumstances or requirements.

I promise, you won’t regret it once you’re sitting on the balcony of a medieval church in Eastern Europe, sipping rosé with some of the most beautifully talented people you’ll ever meet. I promise you won’t regret it when you get goosebumps listening to your new friends serenade each other at dinner each night. 

You won’t regret it when you take that leap of faith to try something new— I promise.

There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am to Dr. Tasher and to the donors who made this tour possible. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

For those interested in joining the UNF choral program, complete the choral program intake form or email cara.tasher@unf.edu. Students can learn more about studying abroad here.

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