Introduction
The main activity of Lapi Laulijad is engaging in multi-voiced women's choir singing, aiming to advance their vocal abilities through voice training and a diverse repertoire. For various projects, they have developed collaborations with other local women's choirs and occasionally with the mixed choirs Hilaro and Claro.
The choir consists of 28 women eager to sing, who meet on Thursday evenings in the music classroom of Parksepa Secondary School. The conductor of Lapi Laulijad has been Silja Otsar, the music teacher at Parksepa Secondary School and Võru Gymnasium, since the beginning.
History
The women's choir Lapi Laulijad began its activities in the autumn of 2012. The initiative came from the teachers and staff of Parksepa Secondary School at the time, who had sung together at various school events. Their first challenge was the Võro-language song festival, "Uma Pido," in the summer of 2013.
The choir got its name from its location of operation, Lapi village; the choir has no connection with the Sámi people living in Lapland.
Since its founding, Lapi Laulijad has participated in all county-level song festivals held at Võru Kubija, the Võro-language folk festivals "Uma Pido" (2013, 2018, 2024), pop choir festivals on the Tartu Song Stage (2015, 2016), winter night song festivals in Otepää (2022, 2023), and the general Estonian Song Festivals in Tallinn (2014, 2019, 2025). Performances at Parksepa Community Center events and amateur evenings were traditional, and in 2024, they sang at the Võru Parish Community Day in Vastseliina. Their longest trip was to Saaremaa for the local song day in Leisi Parish in 2017.
