Selkie – The Seal Woman

Selkie – The Seal Woman features two stories about crossing boundaries, about corrective action, about understanding, about accepting reality and, finally, about forgiveness.

The underlying narrative is an ancient tale from the shores of the northern ocean. A fisherman in the cold north sees silver-speckled seal women dancing on a rock at night. He steals one of the seal pelts and thus captures one of the selkies to be his wife. He promises to give back her seal pelt when seven summers have passed. The couple have a son, Ooruk, who despite his father’s protestations eventually helps his mother return to the sea and thus learns the connection between the two worlds. Interspersed with this tale are Turkka’s own diary entries from the period 2011–2018 about her devastating divorce and struggle to survive a serious illness. The work has nine movements and a duration of about 60 minutes.

The writing of Selkie was funded by Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike). It is one of a cycle of four works each representing one of the classical elements. The first of these, Baba Yaga – Häpeämätön! [Baba Yaga – Shameless!], representing fire, was premiered at Pakkahuone in Joensuu on 5 November 2021.

Tellu Turkka (b. 1969) is a graduate of the Department of Folk Music at the Sibelius Academy, a musician, composer and choir conductor. She is known for her original works rooted in the aesthetics of Nordic folk music. The core of her output consists of extensive choral works based on archetypal folk tales, such as Suden aika [Time of the Wolf], which became widely known in its premiere production by the Philomela women’s choir. Turkka often uses folk vocal techniques and breathing rhythms in her music.

Ruamjai is an arresting and unstoppable choir based in Jyväskylä but with roots in folk music around the world. Ruamjai is known for its vibrant performances, virtuoso interpretations and impressive vocal improvisations.

Ruamjai’s conductor Jaime Belmonte (b. 1988 in Murcia, Spain) has a M.Mus. degree from the Sibelius Academy. His professional merits include choir conducting, choral singing, teaching and composing.

Ruamjai celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025 with a variety of events and projects, including Selkie and the recording of an album in the autumn.

The performance is part of Feel the Festival! free concert series. Admission is free, but audiences are kindly requested to register in advance. Pre-registration will open soon.