The sounds of Mozart’s Requiem will fill Turku Cathedral on Wednesday evening, as choristers put on a benefit concert to raise funds for Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Turku Music Society has organised the event, selling tickets for €20, with a mixture of amateur and professional musicians donating their time for free at the concert.
The Requiem features Finnish opera singers as soloists, and Turku’s Archbishop Tapio Luoma is the patron of the event.
Devastating Paris fire
A huge fire broke out at Notre-Dame on Monday evening. The cathedral, which can trace its earliest roots back to the mid-1100s, is an important cultural and religious symbol for France.
The fire burned for 12 hours, and when fire fighters were able to get the blaze under control, the roof and spire had collapsed.
Fortunately, rescue workers were able to save many priceless relics and artworks inside, and the main exterior towers of the gothic cathedral remain standing.
France’s President Macron, who visited Finland last summer, has vowed to rebuild the cathedral within five years and already hundreds of millions of euros have been pledged for the rebuilding efforts.
The Turku benefit concert proceeds will also be put towards the restoration project.
