A member of the Harvard Choruses
Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum | Radcliffe Choral Society | Harvard Glee Club
Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum | Radcliffe Choral Society | Harvard Glee Club
Menu
International Tour
Every singer in the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum is afforded the exciting opportunity to go on an international tour once in their college career. The tour planning process is an intense one that begins three years before we actually hop on a plane; more impressively, it is facilitated entirely by students! Here, you can learn more about the tour that is currently being planned and past tours.
Sweden Tour, Summer 2023
During the summer of 2023, Collegium will visit Sweden, a Nordic country in Scandinavia. As with past tours, our Foundation will serve as an indispensable source of support as we coordinate this massive operation, and we are forever indebted to them for their generosity. Vi älskar dig!
Below you will find the students that are hard at work putting together this experience for us, along with a tour blog updated daily by singers Jack Liufu and Katie Lutz, both HGSE ’23.
Position
Tour Manager
Tour Core
Student Leader
Racheal Lama
Sarika Chawla, Talia Hanley, Emma MacKenzie
SATURDAY JUNE 10TH:
Today was the day. We all left Sweden: some members to other places in Europe or the world, and many back to Boston. Thus concludes Collegium’s time in Sweden. And what a time it was! We participated in the cultural exchange we were looking for, learning about Swedish cuisine, kulning, jojk, Swedish instruments, and Swedish music.
This tour also led to the choir coming closer together. It’s partially an unstoppable and inexplicable happening of tour, and still it’s important to intentionally plan. It’s so clear that this Collegium is different than the Collegium which flew here two weeks ago. We are closer, ready to embrace next year and beyond. The impacts of this tour on the group will be felt forever moving forward. We spent our last night together, exchanging tear-felt goodbyes and wishing graduating folks farewell. We know that tour will always hold a special place in all our hearts, allowing us to always be together, whether physically or in spirit.
Speaking of planning, we want to make sure to celebrate Tour Core and particularly Racheal, our fearless Tour Manager. Thank you for it ALL, Racheal! And one more special thanks to Jonathan Mott, Conductor, and Justin Blackwell, Accompanist of the Ages.
We hope that you have enjoyed following along with our blog! See you all in 4 years for Collegium’s next international adventure!
FRIDAY JUNE 9TH:
Today was another big travel day: we took three trains from Karlskrona back to Stockholm, and back to the hostel! We all left gifts for our homestays— we are so grateful that we were able to stay with them and that they could share their worlds with us!
For our final night in Sweden, we planned a celebration all together to commemorate tour. It was a wonderful last hurrah filled with lots of memories and laughter. Unfortunately, tomorrow will be our flight out and our last blog post for this tour. Until then, see you tomorrow one last time!
THURSDAY JUNE 8TH:
Did we say yesterday was an unbelievably beautiful day in Karlskrona? Today’s weather was somehow even more breathtaking! We started the day with a group visit to the Marinmuseum, exploring the nautical history of Karlskrona, which was originally started as a naval base for Sweden. We were able to see a shipwreck while being underwater, walk through real submarines, and have a lovely group lunch at the museum. So far the museums in Sweden have been very impressive! From there, we had a couple hours before rehearsal: some swam in the sea, some sunbathed, some explored local cafes, some went thrifting, and others walked the town!
We then met at Fredrik’s Church (Fredrikskyrkan) in the town’s central square, where we would be performing. We must take a moment to acknowledge the beauty of the church and its impressive resonance. We knew once we started warming up that we would love singing here. We did a solo rehearsal, then a joint rehearsal with the Fredrik’s Church Chamber Choir, and then we had quick dinners and got changed for the concert!
The Chamber Choir performed first, before we did a joint piece in Swedish, performed by ourselves, and ended with a joint piece in Swedish. WOW was it a concert! We were so proud of the way we sounded and with the quality of our performance. Notable highlights included the Chamber Choir’s performance of The Road Home, which brought tears to our eyes, and the resonance of our ending notes, particularly from our ending of To Repair. The theme of the evening seemed to be making music, especially making music with those different from us, is a way to make the world better.
After, both choirs headed next door for a banquet, where we feasted on traditional Swedish dishes, learned traditional Swedish songs, and got to share chat with members of the other choir. Notably, the other choir said that they completely understood the words and meanings in our Swedish songs, which is a testament to how much we’ve worked on our pronunciation and language! From there, people headed back to their homestays for our last night in Karlskrona. See you tomorrow for our last full day!
WEDNESDAY JUNE 7TH:
We are now all train experts! After the overnight train, we took 3 more trains and arrived in Karlskrona in the early afternoon. We successfully navigated several rapid transfers; there’s something to be proud of there!
In Karlskrona, we met up with our homestays, who were members of the local Fredrick’s Church Chamber Choir generously offering to host us for the two days we are here! Our homestays were all over the city — from right in the city center to on one of the many islands around the main island. It turns out Sweden has the most islands in the entire world, and Karlskrona has over 1,500 of them! It was so wonderful to get to share time and homes with folks who are local here. In the evening we explored in our own ways: dining with hosts on the water, exploring the main town square, walking around the islands, and picnicking in the park! And did we mention? The weather, sun, and sky in Karlskrona is second to none!
TUESDAY JUNE 6TH:
This morning we started with a Swedish hymn workshop with Anna from Kongero. Something about singing such meaningful music with beautiful simplicity was really powerful. After lunch, we made our way to Piteå to explore the city; it was great timing because today was the Swedish National Day (everyone kept comparing it to the US’ Fourth of July) and there were lots of flags and celebrations going on throughout the city.
We then headed to the train station, had dinners of reindeer stew, chicken, and salad, watched the beautiful Swedish landscape pass by, and turned in early for our 5:45 am wake up call tomorrow. Farewell northern Sweden!
MONDAY JUNE 5TH: PITEÅ
Our only full day in Piteå! A note on last night first: we had a whole group debrief about tour so far and the purposes of singing and touring Given that this is the halfway point in tour, it was of utmost importance to solidify our intra- and inter- personal values as well as our values as a group. We then celebrated Zeynep (our fearless President)’s birthday with games and cakes (yes, multiple!).
This morning, the reinvigorated group cohesion was palpable and it was so amazing to feel that group spirit. We had a kulning (herding calls) workshop with Kongero’s Anna, practicing resonance and projection using the body. In the afternoon we got to have a workshop with Krister Stoor, a leading academic on the indigenous Sámi people and Sámi himself. We learned about Sámi traditions and practices as well as about jojk/yoik, a Sámi singing tradition. We got to sing with him, and we were able to share some of our choral tradition with him as well. It was an incredible experience for all!
After, we rehearsed some more. The headmaster of the school we’re currently staying at even stopped in to listen. It is so fun to hear about everyone’s different connections to America!
After dinner we had a bonfire and s’mores, and sent one of our chaperones, Mollie Stone, off — she’s been incredible and so instrumental in helping to make this tour happen and we are so grateful. Thank you Mollie! Off we go again tomorrow, with downtown Piteå, traveling on trains, and celebrating the Swedish Independence Day all on the schedule!
SUNDAY JUNE 4TH: PITEÅ
We woke up today on the train — we had a surprisingly restful night of sleep and it will be a definitely be a meaningful tour memory for us! We got off the train at Älvsbyn and took the bus (with a lovely tour guide bus driver) to Framnäs Folkhögskola, a community college where we’re staying. We’re in the outskirts of Piteå, in a town called Öjebyn. The accommodations are very nice! We have spacious rooms, lots of natural light, and a beautiful music institution to explore, dine, and sing in!
We spent the afternoon exploring the town and nearby farms, having lunch, talking with locals, doing laundry (!!!), and otherwise relaxing and decompressing.
Tonight we had a group dinner at the restaurant on the campus, as well as a rehearsal to keep building our cohesive Collegium sound. Tomorrow we have several workshops, including one on Swedish herding calls! We will report back in tomorrow!
SATURDAY JUNE 3RD: RIMBOSTÄMMAN FESTIVAL, RIMBO
This morning we successfully navigated the maze of Stockholm to board our bus and head over to Rimbo, about an hour away. There, we arrived at the very quaint Rimbostämman folk music festival. We filled the day watching wonderful performances, trekking over to the local grocery store for snacks, and enjoying some of local sausages and kebabs! This festival felt like a wonderful place to mark the halfway point of tour, moving from the city to smaller towns and countryside. We also saw Kongero perform one of the pieces we had learned with them, before dancing the night away in the barn!
After the festival, we headed on a bus toward Uppsala and got on our overnight train toward Piteå! Triple decker bunks and an early sunrise awaits – wish us luck! Talk to you on Sunday in Piteå!
FRIDAY JUNE 2ND: STOCKHOLM
We can’t believe it’s been a week since we’ve left Boston! Although it isn’t quite as warm as Boston, we’ve still filled our time here with lots of outdoor adventures and exploring. Today was largely a decompress day, so many of us went to Djursgården — a wonderful expansive green space next to Stockholm city. This area includes Skansen (the world’s oldest open air museum), the ABBA Museum (and honey, honey let us tell you: it was an ABBA-solutely amazing time; need we say more!!!?), the Rosendals Trädgård (a huge garden with food, water, and bridges), and Gröna Lund (an amusement park)!
We then convened at St. Peter’s Church, for our second concert of tour! It was so great to sing and perform in Stockholm. If you want to watch our concert, here is the link! https://m.youtube.com/live/VGJgm9c7bgQ?feature=share
We celebrated our last night in Stockholm with small group dinners all around the city, eating local Swedish fare, Thai food, Italian, and even some nostalgic American burgers.
Tomorrow we head off to the Rimbostämman Festival — stories incoming! Off to the weekend!
THURSDAY JUNE 1ST: STOCKHOLM
Happy June and happy Thursday! There is no shortage of things to do in Stockholm!
Our morning started out with small group breakfast and exploration, before we all met up at the Royal College of Music for a workshop with Karin Rehnqvist, a Swedish composer — and the first female professor of composition at the Royal College of Music — who composed one of the pieces we performed at our Fall 2022 concert! She also worked with us on a piece she’s writing that’s still in the works; we promised to keep the details secret, but she said she would send it to us once it was ready.
After the workshop, we headed over to the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts and got some excellent hands on experience with dancing, acting, and music (including a harp, a stairwell that sings back to you, a Theremin, and a customizable band!)!
As the evening approached, we headed separate directions for activities and dinner — as we said: there’s no shortage of things to explore and see! Some highlights included the seeing the Stockholm Public Library, going to the Opera, and trying Swedish pancakes. Of course, no tour would be complete without a birthday or two, so we capped off the evening celebrating our lovely Chika Munonye’s 19th birthday!
WEDNESDAY MAY 31ST: STOCKHOLM
Today was a free day! Different groups formed and met up throughout the day, depending on what they were interested in. Some examples of the Stockholm and Swedish experience that people went for today: the art of the Stockholm subway stations, Swedish massages, the iconic Vasa Museum, the Royal Palace, and Gamla Stan (Old Town Stockholm), thrifting, swimming at Tanto Strandbad, and, of course, buying souvenirs.
Many ended the evening with a lovely concert at the Royal College of Music, featuring performers from one of Kongero’s member’s students. All in all, it was an amazing, rejuvenating day! Peace out, Wednesday!
TUESDAY MAY 30TH: TOBO TO STOCKHOLM
On Tuesday, we started with another lovely breakfast prepared by ESI, before launching into our final workshop with Kongero — today was centered on the idea of “tralla”, where singers focus on improvising/simple mouth syllables as opposed to lyrics.
After eating a final lunch at ESI, we boarded our bus to Stockholm! Many took the opportunity to nap, and in a flash (an hour) we arrived at our hostel — Generator Stockholm. The accommodation is lovely: rainhead showers, bikes and helmets for rental, nice communal areas, and rooming together means more time for bonding together means more time for bonding together!
We had the afternoon open to explore — many headed off to Gamla Stan (Old Town Stockholm) or museums, like the Stockholm Medieval Museum, Nobel Prize Museum, and ABBA Museum. We then met up with the Stockholm Chamber choir and sang for a few hours (and bolstered our sight singing skills). The rehearsal was at St. Peter’s Church, where we’ll be performing on Friday!
In the evening, we had a fika (coffee/tea break) with the Stockholm choir, before going about in groups exploring Stockholm and Swedish culture! It was a happy (and busy) Tuesday indeed!
MONDAY MAY 29TH: TOBO
On Monday we spent some more time workshopping folk pieces with Kongero and practicing our repertoire for our evening concert at ESI — our first one in Sweden.
In the afternoon, we learned partner dancing from Kongero. Magnus played folk tunes on the nyckelharpa and we danced the afternoon away!
After dinner, we held a joint performance with Kongero for the townspeople of Tobo, where we sang the traditional Swedish folk songs Kongero taught us, as well as our own repertoire!
SUNDAY MAY 28TH: TOBO
Today begun with a group breakfast and Collegium rehearsal at ESI. Hirsh Sisodia, South Africa 2019 Tour Manager, paid us a surprise visit!
After lunch, we began our workshop series with Kongero, a world-touring Swedish folk’appela vocal ensemble. Kongero introduced us to Swedish folk songs and the nuances of the music style, while preserving the tradition of teaching and learning music orally.
During free time, Collegium enjoyed the sun in the grass, took walks in the neighborhood, and a couple folks lit an outdoor fire! We ended the night by watching Mamma Mia together, which was of course a sing-along too.
FRIDAY MAY 26TH – SATURDAY MAY 27TH: TOBO
Collegium is off to Sweden! On Friday we took the T to the airport to catch our flights from Boston to Stockholm. After many hours of travel by plane and bus, we arrived at our first destination, the Eric Sahlström Institute in Tobo, an hour outside of Stockholm. The ESI, founded in 1997, is a music education institute focused on Swedish traditional folk music, nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle), and dance. You can read more about ESI here: http://esitobo.org/eng/
We settled into our rooms and shared a lovely dinner at the residence. Later on, we received an introduction to the ESI from CEO Magnus Holmström, as well as an introduction to the nyckelharpa and its history.
We are incredibly excited to be in Sweden and are looking forward to sharing our adventures these next two weeks!
South Africa Tour, Summer 2019
During the summer of 2019, Collegium took a three-week tour to South Africa. We created unforgettable memories together with the generous support of our Foundation and the Forbes Fund of the Harvard Glee Club Foundation, as well as the patient assistance of Black South African singers and conductors.
Check out some of the highlights of our trip.
Sunset at Nylsvley Nature Reserve
Tour of Nelson Mandela's Former House at Drakenstein Correctional Centre
At the Top of a Mountain Peak in Drakensberg
Dustin on the Top of Table Mountain
Just Arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa
Sunset at Nylsvley Nature Reserve
Tour of Nelson Mandela's Former Cell Block on Robben Island
Group Photo at Nylsvley Nature Reserve
International Tours
Sweden
South Africa
Brazil
Germany and Austria
Australia and New Zealand
France and the Iberian Peninsula
Italy and Greece
Great Britain
Mexico
West Coast
The Mediterranean
Europe
Year
2023
2019
2015
2011
2007
2003
1999
1995
1991
1986
1981
1976