Sounds of Peace (Rauhan soinnut) – Song and Sointu Sings Peace (Sointu laulaa rauhaa) Community Music Project (2024)
Sounds of Peace (Rauhan soinnut) is part of the community music project Sointu Sings Peace (Sointu laulaa rauhaa), carried out in 2024 in Finland by Tampereen Vanhuspalveluyhdistys ry (the parent organisation of Sointu) together with Sointu. The project explores themes of peace, war, loss and hope through participatory songwriting with older people, many of whom have lived experience of war.
The song emerged through an artist-facilitated process in which participants took part in lyric-writing and composition workshops. In these sessions, they shared personal memories and reflections, which formed the basis of the lyrics. The text was later shaped into a rhymed form by spoken word instructor Janna Satri.
The music was composed by Jeena Rancken, who led the composition workshops together with Ritva Venehsalo. The production and studio recording were carried out by Mikko Kangasjärvi, who also performed the piano parts and directed the studio musicians. The musical style moves between Manse rock and local pop schlager, with influences from jazz and elements reminiscent of classical art music.
As a community artist, I worked in the project as a producer-facilitator between Sointu’s clients, staff, organisation and collaborating artists. The aim was to find a musical language that reflects the experiences and voices of older people themselves. One participant described peace as follows, a thought that later became part of the lyrics: “You can sleep through the night in peace, without having to wake up to bombs.” (Image: Sointu Sings Peace Community Concert 2024. Photo: Sointu Senior Services, still image from video.)