Cantamus embarks on first international tour
June 02, 2025
AMES, Iowa — When the members of Iowa State University’s Cantamus treble-voice choir step on stage Tuesday night for their Bon Voyage Concert, it won’t just mark the start of a performance — it will mark the beginning of an unforgettable 12-day musical journey.
The choir will embark the next day on its first-ever international tour, a 12-day cultural and performance experience across Finland and Sweden.
“I’m most excited to see these students experience it, especially those who have never travelled abroad or done anything like this,” said Dr. Jennifer Rodgers, Cantamus conductor and ISU’s assistant director of choral activities.
Nearly half of the 50 students and recent graduates going on the trip have never traveled internationally, and a significant portion have never left the Midwest.
Singing abroad, finding a voice
The tour includes a packed itinerary of performances and workshops in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden, and several appearances at the internationally recognized Tampere Vocal Music Festival in Tampere, Finland.
Along the way, the ensemble will reunite with Kardemimmit, the Finnish folk quartet that first performed with Cantamus in 2022 at Stephens Auditorium in Ames.
“They loved performing with us so much they asked us to tour with them,” said Lydia Papiboune, outgoing Cantamus president and recent ISU graduate. Now headed to Drake University for a master’s degree in counseling, Papiboune calls the tour “the perfect way to end my college career at ISU.”
The group will also workshop and perform with the internationally touring Swedish “folk-appella” vocal ensemble Kongero, learning ancient Scandinavian herding calls and folk techniques.
“It’s a great way to learn how to be a leader, connect with people and understand what makes a good choir,” Papiboune said. “This has been a good group of people to create music with but also to create a family. It makes the experience all the much better.”
More than just music
Cantamus, a select treble-voice ensemble, is known for embracing vocal music that pushes the boundaries of genre and vocal sound. “Singing it is a different type of skill,” said Papiboune. “Since we’ve been singing Finnish for a while now, we’ve gotten the language down pat.”
But speaking it? “That’s different,” she laughed, noting she’s been practicing speaking in Finnish and Swedish using an app on her phone.
Rodgers said the mission of Cantamus has always been “to be on the leading edge.” The tour is a chance to expand that mission — and themselves.
“To be invited to come means that we have opportunities that we wouldn’t have found if we had organized through a typical touring company,” Rodgers explained.
From performing on an overnight cruise ship on the Baltic Sea to engaging with musicians from around the world, the students will stretch their skills far beyond the concert hall.
Commemorating the special event
This tour is not just about sound — it’s also about identity. Thanks to a cross-campus collaboration, the students will wear custom-designed scarves inspired by Finnish folk art and ISU spirit. Designed by recent graduate Elli Allen, the scarves feature Finland’s blue and white flag, Iowa’s white primrose flower, and diamond motifs inspired by Finnish runes and dishware.
“I wanted to combine ISU motifs with Finland's national symbols,” Allen said. “This was definitely a challenge for me, and I really learned a lot.”
Allen’s design was the winner of a design contest organized in a joint effort by Rodgers, Doreen Chung and Yvonne Lee, both professors in the department of apparel, merchandising and design.
After a language barrier almost prevented the scarves from arriving in time for the tour, Tonglu Li, an associate professor of Chinese studies in world languages and cultures jumped in to facilitate and saved the day.
"An almost terrible ending turned into another example of the spirit of cooperation and a connection across departments," Rodgers said.
The commemoration scarf will be worn by members of Cantamus for the first time Tuesday evening.
“We're so happy to have it in our hands. It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Papiboune. “It’s definitely better than I could have imagined.”