NORTHERN LIGHTS CHORAL CRUISE

FROM KIRKENES TO BERGEN, NORWAY

17–25 (or 12–25) October 2025

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSIC DETAILS

If you are joining us for this voyage, see further down the page for the list of part-songs we will sing.

During the southbound voyage from Kirkenes to Bergen, there will be choral sessions every day,  planned so as not to conflict with the shore excursions. Sessions will be open exclusively to those who have booked with Specialised Travel, and not to other passengers aboard. If time and the ship’s itinerary permit, we will give a short informal concert at the end of the voyage. Choral sessions (and, indeed, meals and sleep) have the potential to be interrupted by the Northern Lights alert system! We will announce the exact times of the sessions closer to the departure date.

Our musicians
Directing our choral sessions will be Sam Evans, professional baritone and busy choral conductor, also a vocal coach for several top professional groups. Joining Sam is the pianist Maria Marchant – a superb performer, well known to anyone who has previously taken part in one of our choral cruises.

Scores to bring
Singers will need to bring three pieces of music as follows (you will not be able to buy copies on board):

The New Novello Part-Song Book (ISBN 0-85360-895-4)
Ola Gjeilo’s Northern Lights for SATB a cappella (Walton Choral no. HL08501748)
Nordic Notes – a booklet of choral pieces specially compiled for a sea voyage

‘Nordic Notes’ is only available from Blackwell’s Music Shop in Oxford. There is no charge for this item, but Blackwell’s will charge postage and packing.  If you order other items from Blackwell’s Music Shop (which offers a knowledgeable and efficient service), postage etc will be calculated on the complete order. Contact them by telephone on 01865 333582 or email them at printed.music@blackwell.co.uk.

You don’t need to learn every item in the Novello book! Sam Evans has identified nine titles which are top of his list to address, and a further three which he will look at if we have time. The list is below; numbers refer to the title numbers, not to page numbers (the book is arranged alphabetically by title).

2. Breathe soft, ye winds
8. Come live with me
13. Go, lovely rose
20. The long day closes
24. My delight and thy delight
27. Orpheus, with his lute
35. Sweet and low
39. To daffodils
44. Which is the properest day to sing

and, if time:

7. Come let us join the roundelay
15. In these delightful, pleasant groves
32. Sleep! The bird is in its nest

Please do your best to familiarise yourself with your individual choral line.  As far as we know, there are no rehearsal sound files for the book as a whole, but several of the better known titles can be found individually on the web (make sure you get the right composer). 

More links for The Scratch Northern Lights Choral Cruise:  Summary  – How to book