Finland's Free Church gathered its two national ensembles — the Wind Orchestra and the Sinfonietta — for the annual SopuSointu music camp at the Kiponniemi activity centre over the final weekend of August. Musicians of every age took part, in the words of one participant "from baby to grandpa," joined by families and support volunteers. Camp director Ilari Lähteenmäki led the weekend, with Kai Piikkilä coaching the wind players and Antti Soininen the strings.
The camp is a fixture in the life of Suomen Vapaakirkko (SVK), the Free Church of Finland, and Kiponniemi has long served as the movement's national gathering place. While the Free Church's national orchestras have often swum against the stream of trends in Christian music, a fresh generation of young adults has now stepped into the orchestra work and is taking on responsibility. That quiet renewal, the report notes, is itself a kind of revival — congregations pray for revival, yet do not always notice people coming to faith and joining as members.
The writer recalls that the late Leo and Kaija Joki originally launched both the Wind Orchestra and the Sinfonietta, and that some of today's young leaders first took part as children in their era. Beyond the playing, the programme built in shared quiet times and lighter moments such as an evening gala and games. Both ensembles remain open to new players of any age, playing from sheet music with no audition level tests, and the report closes with an invitation to spread the word to wind and string players in local congregations.
(Originally published in Finnish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Suomen Vapaakirkko / Suomen Viikkolehti — svl.fi/soittoa-sopuisasti-kiponniemessa
