Across the Baltic Sea: Choral Music of Nordic-Baltic Countries

Across the Baltic Sea explores the rich choral traditions of Northern Europe, featuring composers from Finland, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, and Lithuania. The program traces a musical journey across cultures and landscapes, from the romantic voice of Sibelius and the modernism of Rautavaara to the contemplative worlds of Arvo Pärt and Vytautas Miškinis. United by a profound connection to history, spirituality, and landscapes, these works reveal the remarkable musical tapestry woven across the Baltic and Nordic regions.

A Taiwanese-Canadian musician, Tzu-Han Ann Chen is currently A.B.D., completing the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Music at the University of Southern California. She is a pianist, mezzo-soprano, and conductor. As a mezzo-soprano, Chen has sung and recorded with the L.A. Master Chorale, VOCES8 U.S. Scholars (24-25), VOCES8 Foundation, Golden Bridge Singers, St. James in-the-city Choir, Vancouver Cantata Singers, and Cypress Choral Music studio singers. As a conductor, Chen has been the Artistic Director of Essonance Chamber Choir, which received the runner-up Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman Award at the Performing Arts British Columbia Provincial Festival in 2014. She was the conductor of USC Apollo Chorus and University Chorus. Dedicating her life to ministry, she had been the Choirmaster of St. John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church and Assistant Conductor at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. She is currently serving as the Music Director of Bay Shore Congregational Church, and visiting co-director of choirs of the Joint Music Program of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges. Outside of ministry and academia, she serves as the artistic director of a Los Angeles-based vocal octet, Exilio, which predominantly highlights music by underperformed and rising composers for the public through performances and educational initiatives. Chen was selected as the Spire Chamber Choral Conducting Fellow (24-25), conductor in the Toronto Mendelssohn Choral Conductors’ Symposium, Taipei International Choral Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Choral Festival, 12th European Academy for Choral Conductors, and competed in the 2nd Romano Gandolfi International Competition for Choral Conductors.