Ilmajoki Music Festival

6.-15.6.2025

The Ilmajoki Music Festival has been running since 1975. The event delivers great, Finnish opera and concert experiences in the traditional landscape of the Kyrönjoki River in the Southern Ostrobothnia.
Next year, the festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The new, domestic premiere is the 15th self-produced opera "The Big Hate", which tells the story of the years of hate and the fate of our ancestors on the banks of the Kyrönjoki River. Composer is Uljas Pulkkis, libretto by Anneli Kanto, directed by Tuomas Parkkinen and conducted by Eero Lehtimäki.

  

Kaskinen Music Summer

12.–13.5.2024

Kaskinen Music Summer has been an annual event since 2007 in July. The festival is four to five days long, and during these days there are several chamber music concerts with Finnish and international musicians. The artistic directors of the festival, since 2019, are Anna-Mari Peltonen and Samuli Peltonen. The concerts gather around 600 visitors every year.

Kaustinen Chamber Music Week

24.1 -1.2.2025

Kaustinen Chamber Music Week is arranged since year 1970. Always in January / February.  The musica repertoire stretches from early baroque to wellknown classics and contemporary music. About 70 pieces have had their world premiere during the weeks. New Artistic Director from 2023 is violaplayer Tiila Kangas. In focus during the coming years will be composer Pehr Henrik Nordgren´s (1944-2008) string quartet production. 

The folkmusic tradition of Kaustinen is special for the region and the combination of classic music and folk music is a strong character for the festival. 

 

The Middle Ostrobothnian Chamber opera association

The Ostrobothnia Chamber opera association was founded in the year 2019 and arranges every second year starting 2023 a three-day chamber opera festival.

In October 2024 the Chamber Opera Isfåglarna (Icebirds), composed by Olli Kortekangas will have it´s world premiere. 

The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra

11.1 - 29.5.2024

The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orhestra (OCO), founded by the Orchestra's Honorary Conductor Juha Kangas in 1972, has been a professional orchestra since 1989. The homogeneous sound and dynamic impact of the Orchestra are a result of years of playing together. Since 2013, Sakari Oramo has served as the Artistic Director of the Orchestra. The new Artistic Director, Malin Broman, will take up her appointment from autumn 2019.

In the year 2022 the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra celebrates its 50th year anniversary with world-famous guests and big productions.

 

Kokkolan SyysKamari

21 - 24.8.2024

Kokkolan SyysKamari is a chamber music festival that was founded in 2018. This Festival takes place every year during August and/or september. The artists are the most renowned young Finnish talents. One of Kokkolan SyysKamari’s main goals is to bring young virtuosos to enjoy Kokkola’s intimate atmosphere and create unique chamber music experiences together. The program consists of chamber music jewels from the baroque era to these very days. Festival’s artistic directors and founders are cellist Antto Tunkkari and double bassist Pauli Pappinen.

Kokkola Winter Accordion

8.-15.2.2025

The accordion bellows will once again be bent in many forms in the city of Kokkola! Hear the rhythm of the tango in dances, club nights and a tango oratorio. Watch the moving performance "Goodbye Vyborg!" about the years of the Finnish war. Freshen up in a sauna village in the city center. Feel the rhythm of Ukrainian music and the glow of modern music. Experience the city of Kokkola in an unforgettable festival atmosphere with crisp wintry weather.

Korsholm Music Festival

23.7 - 30.7.2025

Korsholm Music Festival is a traditional chamber music festival with over 40 years of history. It was founded in 1983 by professor Seppo Kimanen. The warm and light summer nights in late July are filled with music as the Music Festival invites top class artists from Finland and abroad to perform in the unique concert sites of the Ostrobothnia coast. Korsholm Music Festival wants to offer sustainably produced and attainable music experiences to everyone. From year 2023 on, the artistic Director is the Finnish cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson.

Lapua Organ Festival

0 - 0.9.2025

In Lapua Cathedral with the biggest organ in Finland, is The International Lapua Organ Festival organized already seven times. The organists come from all parts of the world. The producer is the organ association of Lapua. Artistic Director is organist Jimi Järvinen from Vaasa. The festival is held every second year and the next festival is in September 2025.

Lohtaja Church Music Festival

22- 27.7 2025

Lohtaja Church Music Festival is arranged for more than 40 years. The aim is to produce musical experiences on a high level within sacred music. The music is also performed according to christian values. The festival normally is arranged end of July. 
The Church music festival is well anchored in the local cultural society and is an easy accessible event with a warm athmosphere. 

The music performed in the festival is based on church music traditions since thousands of years. Artistic director is conductor Juhani Lamminmäki

Jakobstad's Sinfonietta

16.–16.3.2024

Jakobstad's Sinfonietta consists of teachers from Musikhuset i Jakobstad and functions as an educational orchestra for the students. Students at Musikhuset's three different levels of education receive a large part of their orchestra and ensemble practice via the Sinfonietta's activities, such as various orchestra and chamber music productions. Through the Sinfonietta, students get the opportunity to play with experienced, professional musicians in various contexts. Jakobstad's Sinfonietta is a flexible unit, which strives to be a central part of Ostrobothnia's everyday culture.

RUSK Chamber Music in Jakobstad

19 - 23.11.2024

RUSK is a chamber music festival held annually in Pietarsaari/Jakobstad, Finland at the end of November. RUSK seeks to reflect the present day and age with its myriad variations and challenges. It is a melting pot in which creativity is unleashed in exotic contexts at the darkest, bleakest time of the northern year. The festival was founded in 2013 by clarinettist Christoffer Sundqvist and composer Sebastian Fagerlund. In 2020 conductor Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed as new artistic director of RUSK.

Schauman Hall

Schauman Hall is a modern and high-quality concert hall suitable for all genres of music and congresses. The venue offers many possibilities for events such as concerts, conferenses and exhibitions.

The concert hall has variable acoustics that can be altered to suit all musical genres, including opera and musical. The adjustable stage and the orchestra pit makes Schauman Hall one of the more unique venues in Ostrobothnia. Schauman Hall seats 361-405. 

Schauman Hall is directly connected to a recording studio, which enables high quality studio and live recordings.

The Seinäjoki City Orchestra

7.11.–6.12.2024

The Seinäjoki City Orchestra was founded in 1936. The orchestra holds its concerts in the acoustics splendid Seinäjoki Hall. Chamber music is a notable feature of the orchestra’s repertoire. The string and wind quintets made up of the orchestra’s nucleus players give frequent concerts of chamber music both classical and contemporary. The full-time members of the orchestra are joined for symphony concerts by professional musicians. In addition to its own chamber music and symphony concerts the orchestra has appeared in different symphony, church, and tangomusic concerts and opera- and theather productions.

Vaasa Baroque

Vasa Baroque association works to offer early musical experineces for the Ostrobothnian audience. The association was founded in 2013 and has yearli extended its activities on a more sustainable ground. Vasa Baroque Festival is held every year in October. During the festival early music on a hight international level is performed together with top artists from all over Europe. Baroque concerts and opera performances are arranged within Ostrobothnia. The ensemble Earthly Angels is part of the assciation that works in the domestic and international market. Their recording from year 2018 was awarded best record of the year by Finnish national Radio in february 2019. 

Vaasa City Orchestra

12.1 - 29.5.2024

Regular orchestral concerts in Vaasa date back to 1930, when an Orchestra Society was founded in the town. In 1974, the orchestra became part of the City of Vaasa.

Vaasa City Orchestra comprises 31 musicians. Tomas Djupsjöbacka has been the chief conductor of the orchestra since January 2021. Orchestra’s composer-in-residence is Markus Fagerudd. The orchestra works and performs in the historical Vaasa City Hall, in the center of Vaasa.

In addition to traditional symphonic concerts, the orchestra does concerts with other musical directions, for schools etc. The orchestra frequently collaborates with other neighboring orchestras and summerfestivals. Vaasa Opera Foundation and Vaasa City Theatre as well as since 1999, every third year, arranged the International Jorma Panula Conducting Competition.

Vaasan Kuorofestivaali

9.–12.5.2024

Vaasa Choir Festival is a five-day-long event, an international song and choirfestival open for all choirs and vocal groups. The festival is arranged yearly in mid May. During the festival almost hundred concerts are arranged around the city of Vaasa and in the Vaasa region; singing is hears in churches, concert halls, schools and restaurants.