The newly tuned Hellas piano at Räyskälä Grand Villa is a perfect tool as Luc Thélin, the conductor of Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat (HOL), provides his singers with examples of the correct pitches. In March, the choir retreated for a weekend to rehearse for their spring concert series.
In addition to rehearsals held in the Helsinki metropolitan area, the choir organizes longer rehearsal camps a few times a year. This March marked the choir’s second visit to the Grand Villa in Räyskälä.
“The advantage of having such a packed rehearsal session is that you can take a piece from the beginning to the end in only one weekend. It is quite rewarding,” says Luc Thélin.
Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat is Finland’s oldest academic mixed choir, consisting of about thirty singers. Most of them are students at the University of Helsinki.
“I happen to be from Häme myself, but we have people from other regions as well. The Hämäläis-Osakunta student nation attracts people because it has many different hobby clubs,” describes Matilda Miettinen, a soprano in the choir.
The choir’s French conductor, Luc Thélin, is studying choral conducting at the Sibelius Academy. Previously, he studied music theory, singing, and piano in his home country at the University of Saint-Étienne and the conservatory in the same city.
“I try to create our choir’s programs using little stories that link the pieces together. This spring’s repertoire is tied together by a kind of flower song theme,” Thélin explains.
“I am currently in my second year with the choir, and I feel I have already learned so much,” says Vivian Okker, a soprano who also serves as the choir’s event coordinator.
“In a choir, no one is left alone. It is a wonderful place to learn to sing; I myself took my first actual singing lessons long after I had already started choral singing,” Luc Thélin describes.
Watch the video of Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat practicing at Räyskälä’s Grand Villa.