CANTUS: Finlandia by Jean Sibelius

"Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius recorded at Westminster Presbyterian Church. This is the first installment from Cantus’ COVID-19 Sessions recorded live on March 17, 19, and 20, 2020. TEXT This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine; but other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine. My country's skies are bluer than the ocean, And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine. But other lands have sunlight too, and clover, And skies are everywhere as blue as mine. O hear my song, thou God of all the nations, A song of peace for their land and for mine. ---- The inspiration for this project came during the week of March 8, when word began spreading of the coronavirus’ presence in the United States. As gatherings became limited, it quickly became clear that we needed to postpone our spring program, There Lies the Home, and perhaps our 25th Anniversary Gala on May 3 as well. As we made those hard decisions at home, our national touring schedule was simultaneously unravelling. Presenters faced the same looming challenges and concerns as we did, and they also began to postpone or cancel all of their upcoming programs. By the end of that week, we suddenly found ourselves with our earned revenue sources, which comprise two-thirds of our budget, cut off and our 25th Anniversary concert and gala also postponed for an indeterminate period. Amidst these concerns, a more fundamental uncertainty grew with the guidelines on social distancing and the prohibitions on large gatherings. How can we, how can you, how can anyone create a sense of community during a crisis like this? We recognized we had a limited window in which to offer what we could as artists. These videos are the result of that action — we wanted to come together in a time of great stress and uncertainty and offer what we could to the world, our community, and each other. We wanted to make music: music live and in-person, while it was still possible. With the generosity of Westminster Presbyterian Church and the expertise and hard work of Chris Foss (audio/video) and Jacob Christopher (video), we were able to put these videos together over the course of three days during the week of March 15 as a gift to our community and all those who find themselves alone and searching for inspiration and comfort. We hope you can find yourself and your experience reflected somewhere in these sessions. The pieces you will see and hear in the coming months span a great breadth of emotion, from joy to sorrow to wonder to pain. We hope you will find the performances themselves informed by the emotional states in which they were recorded — heightened at different times in different ways. We hope you find meaning in what we are calling the COVID-19 Sessions. ---- CANTUS is recognized as one of the nation’s premier vocal ensembles, praised for its signature warmth, blend, and powerful storytelling through music. Performing without a conductor, Cantus works as a true chamber ensemble: each member has an equal voice in shaping every program. Based in Minneapolis, Cantus tours nationally and internationally, with appearances at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Tanglewood, and more. International engagements have taken the ensemble to Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia sharing their music and mission with global audiences. Cantus also offers all home concerts via streaming, connecting with audiences across all 50 states and over 16 countries. Subscribe to CANTUS YouTube channel 👉   / cantussings   Subscribe to CANTUS newsletter 👉https://www.cantussings.org/newsletter/ Follow CANTUS on: www.facebook.com/cantussings www.instagram.com/cantussings www.tiktok.com/@cantussings