PSU Magazine Fall 1990

GLASNOST CONNECTION folk-dance party lasted well into the earl y morning hours. In June, the sun never sets in Estonia. The Olev ine Choir also performed in an 800-year-old Russian Orthodox Church with the PSU Choir. "We gave the concert of the tour that ni ght," said choir member Anthony Hardt. "Afterwards, Bruce Browne said every conductor has a pantheon of performances he or she looks back on with pride, and this concert just joined that pantheon ." Before arriving at the Estonian Festival , the Chamber Choir sang on tour for several weeks in England, with performances at Canterbury and Ely cathedrals , Stratford– On-Avon and Cambridge University's Jesus College Chapel. But much of that early tour fades in memory for choir members. "One thing that is very exc iting about being there is that the Estonians are trying to achieve the ir independence from the Soviet Union; so the atmosphere in the country is e lectric in anti cipation of breaking away ," says Smith. Music in Estonia ... is a cultural necessity, a life force, says Browne, and the musical standards are very high. T hi s year's festival marked the first time in 50 years that the Estonians were nor forced to sing Sov iet songs, and were allowed to fly the country's blue, black and white flag in place of the hammer and sick le. Pla inly, choral music in Eston ia is much more than a luxury or a soc ial gathering, says Browne. It is a cultu ral necess ity, a life force, he stresses, and the musical standard s are ve ry high. The fest ival, begun in 1869 and held every four or five years, is held in conjunct ion wi th the national dance festival. The perforn1ers and audi ence represent all the states in the USS R, but it is estimated that almost half of the ethnic Estonian population attends. The PSU Chamber Choir's trip was funded by the students and the ir families, with he lp from the universi ty and the PSU Alumni Board. The group has been invited back to Estonia, and in 1991 Browne will guest-conduct there during the first Bridges of Song: an East/West Un ited Song Festi val. The PSU singers wou ld also like to bring the Olevine Choir of Tallinn to Portland for a week of performances during 199 1 if fund ing can be found. D The f estival amphitheater holds approximately 28,000 singers and an audience of400,000 listeners. PSU14