At one of the most religious places in Helsingborg you will find one of the least religious choirs. The student choir Stämpus, opens up and tells you about religion, who’s singing in a choir, and what makes them rehearse week after week.
It is dead silent! There’s tension in the air, a kind of vibrating pressure of concentration and anticipation. The blonde woman in the middle of the half circle of people waves her arm – and suddenly the church is full of singing.
The choir in question – Stämpus – is a student choir that has been around in Helsingborg since 2005. It is organized by students and led by Ilze Stala, who has a master’s degree as choir leader from a university in Riga. The administration, dealing with everything from marketing to event bookings, is handled by a board of only students from Campus Helsingborg.
The church, where the singing takes place, is the church of Gustav Adolf. This brick walled, impressive colossus is located at the square of Gustav Adolf in the Helsingborg town district Söder, iconically situated next to the fruit market, and open during daytime in the square. Now then, is Stämpus a religious choir? – “No, we use the church for convenience. Stämpus has no bonds or obligations towards the church, but we can be here for free as Ilze is the precentor in the congregation”, Elin Pettersson says, the chairperson of the Board of Stämpus. – “We avoid singing too religious songs – at some instant I had to stop a song as I felt it was too close to being religious”, she continues.
In the middle of Sebastian Bach’s magnificent piece “Air”, the almost spiritual bonding concentration is broken, and some of the singers start laughing. The baritones had sung in the wrong key. With this one notice the underlying happiness and bonding the choir has, the collective acceptance that things can go wrong when you sing, and that’s alright.
The choir practices every Monday. To get a place among the singing academics the applicant has to have an entrance examination approved. The leader of the choir, Ilze, explains: –“When we started seven years ago we were only ten persons, and they didn’t have the skills. It was difficult. Today the choir has developed a lot and we have become really good. It is fantastic to see how some of them have evolved over just a few years.
For the most part the choir consists of young women, something that both the board and leaders of the choir would like to change. “Today there are about 20 young women and 10 young men. During spring they made a campaign with the slogan Searching for Singing Men, with the result of some applicants”, Louise Liljeqvist, head of marketing.
“Now it’s time for Angels”! declares Ilze harshly. ”Does everyone have a sheet of music”? – “I don’t …” somebody says, and eyes gaze at the floor. – ”Alright, then you have to stand close to somebody who has. Get going”! A humanly machinery starts, and the choir rearrange their positions so that everybody has access to a sheet of music, and those who haven’t sung the piece before stand close to somebody who has. It works fast and effectively.
The support from the other members of the choir, and the friendship that evolves between them during singing are one of the major reasons for people to join the choir. In the middle of every rehearsal they have fika, which someone in the choir has arranged, and relations get started – there are even couples that have met within Stämpus. According to many of the members of the choir Ilze Stala, the iconic leader of the choir, is a reason for people to show up.
However, Stämpus is now facing a conversion: Ilze Stala will soon end her job a leader of the choir. For somebody who has been part of a choir the understanding of this change is perhaps overwhelming – the leader keeping this motley competent choir together will soon be gone. Therefore Stämpus is looking for a new leader. What does it mean that Ilze leaves you? – “It is not the leader who is Stämpus – it is us, the singers of the choir. Of course it is sad that she has to leave us, but this will not change who we are”, Elin Pettersson answers and looks hopeful.
After a quick restart the atmosphere in the Church under Angels is starting to get magical. Everything falls into place and then you notice that Ilze has stopped conducting. She stands with her hands behind her back and does nothing but enjoys.
And so do I.
Text: Sebastian Manieri
Photo: Satomi Miyata
Translation: Lars Jansson
