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11.1.2024 14.58

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra had a successful year 2023. The orchestra organized a record-breaking 233 events, the highest in two decades. The number of public concerts, totaling 133, also reached its highest point in twenty years. The audience attendance was nearly 71,200, surpassing the figures from the previous peak year in 2019. As the new year begins, TFO welcomes a new Chief Conductor, as conductor-pianist-composer Olli Mustonen concluded his term as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of TPO at the end of 2023.

Olli Mustonen's term as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor culminated in performances of Beethoven and Nielsen's works at the end of 2023

Throughout his three-year term starting in 2021, Mustonen brought several top-notch guest performers to Turku, including cellist Steven Isserlis on two occasions and tenor Ian Bostridge. Mustonen, conductor and pianist, captivated the audience with music from Camille Saint-Saëns and Ludwig van Beethoven, among others.

During Mustonen's tenure, the Turku audience also had the pleasure of enjoying his own compositions, such as Symphony No. 2 "Johannes Angelos" and Symphony No. 3 "Taivaanvalot." The first recordings of these symphonies were released under Mustonen's direction on the Ondine label on November 3, 2023. In addition to Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Mustonen, the recordings feature tenor Ian Bostridge.

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra will announce its new Chief Conductor at the end of January 2024.

Highlights of the year included the opening of Christian Kluxen's term as Principal Guest Conductor and four premieres

Spring highlights included the concluding concerts of Julian Rachlin's six-year term as a Principal Guest Conductor and soprano Karita Mattila's appearance in March. In April, the orchestra performed music from James Bond films with Diandra and conductor Antti Rissanen. The collaboration with Saaristo Opera and Turku City Theatre produced Aulis Sallinen's opera "The Red Line" at the beginning of the year, with all performances being sold out.

Autumn highlights included a concert featuring Hungarian music conducted by former Chief Conductor Tibor Bogányi in September and Christian Kluxen's opening concerts in November. In November, the orchestra presented the popular Open Orchestra production for the second time, with a total of 10 concerts for Art Explorers and other students in addition to the three evening concerts. Overall, Open Orchestra reached 9,000 listeners in 13 concerts.

Additionally, four premieres took place during the season: Matti Koponen premiered Elisar Riddelin's work "Loviatar – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" in May. Mikko Multamäki premiered Pertti Jalava's "Sinuhe – Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra" in September, and the world-renowned Storioni Trio premiered Sebastian Fagerlund's "Lanterna – 7 Settings for Violin, Cello, Piano, and Orchestra" in October. Mikko Heiniö´s Weitab was premiered in chamber music concert in May.

Children's events reached nearly 13,500 listeners, and in addition to Open Orchestra, a concert based on Marzi Nyman's Finlandia Award-winning book "Avain hukassa" attracted a large audience. TPO engages in diverse audience outreach efforts, including the new initiative "Musicians on the Move" music moments in local libraries. Junior Club activities were also reintroduced after a few years, and the club evenings quickly filled up. In May, TPO took over Hansakortteli with baritone Waltteri Torikka, performing two concerts to a full Hansatori. In total, audience outreach events reached almost 5,900 listeners. Additionally, in 2023, the orchestra broadcasted 8 free online concerts through its website tfo.fi/live..

8.1.2024 11.43

The spring season of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra starts on Thursday, January 11th, at 7 pm and on Friday, January 12th, at 6 pm in the Concert Hall. Christian Kluxen, who impressively opened his term as Principal Guest Conductor in the fall with Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, conducts the orchestra. The concert is filled with emotions, featuring the great and romantic symphony "Klippepastoraler" by Danish composer Rued Langgaard and Richard Strauss's delicate and emotional song cycle Vier letzte Lieder interpreted by soprano Christina Nilsson. Both concert evenings are preceded by a Head Start open to the audience, providing a closer look at the artists and the program.

Soprano Christina Nilsson is a familiar name on European opera stages. She won the Renata Tebaldi singing competition in 2017 and has received awards in several other competitions. Richard Strauss's masterpiece, the song cycle Vier letzte Lieder or "Four Last Songs," is like a musical journey towards the sunset. Strauss created the work in the last years of his life, and the song cycle progresses from the springtime freshness of the first song through the darker emotions of the next two songs to the radiant sunset of the concluding song. Nilsson has successfully performed the song cycle previously, including with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm.

The core of Rued Langgaard's production consists of 16 symphonies. Kluxen presents the first of these symphonies to the audience in Turku, titled "Klippepastoraler" or "Cliffside Pastorals." With its one-hour duration and large orchestral ensemble, the work opens the spring season in a festive manner. Expressing romanticism, the symphony resounds fully with the principle of "more is more." Langgaard's symphony has five descriptive parts, with names reflecting the ascent from the seashore to the mountain peak. Overshadowed during his lifetime by another great Danish symphonist, Carl Nielsen, Langgaard's symphony is stylistically rich music reminiscent of Strauss, Wagner, and Mahler.

Christian Kluxen is one of the most intriguing conductors in Scandinavia. In the fall of 2023, he started his seventh season as the artistic director of the Victoria Symphony in Canada and his first season as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Kluxen is known for his sincere and transparent leadership, innovative program planning, and bold, imaginative, and energetic interpretations. He has collaborated with significant orchestras worldwide.

Kluxen will conduct the orchestra for the second time during the spring in April, on Thursday, April 18th, at 7 pm in the Concert Hall. The concert, titled "Eight Seasons," features theremin virtuoso Carolina Eyck as the soloist, with Kalevi Aho's "Eight Seasons," a concerto for theremin and chamber orchestra. Olivier Messiaen's Les Offrandes oubliées and Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra complete the evening.

On the Cliffs Thu 11.1. at 7 pm and Fri 12.1. at 6 pm in the Concert Hall. Christian Kluxen, conductor, Christina Nilsson, soprano. Strauss – Langgaard.

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Symphony Series of the Spring Season

On the Cliffs, Thu 11.1. at 7 pm and Fri 12.1. at 6 pm
Christian Kluxen, conductor, Christina Nilsson, soprano
Strauss – Langgaard
Classically Passionate, Fri 19.1. at 6 pm
Bernard Labadie, conductor, Andreas Brantelid, cello.
Haydn – Mozart
Rachlin & Mendelssohn, Thu 25.1. at 7 pm and Fri 26.1. at 6 pm
Julian Rachlin, conductor and violin
Mendelssohn – Rossini – Schumann
Postcards from Rome, Thu 1.2. at 7 pm
Fabien Gabel, conductor
Puccini – Ponchielli – Verdi – Respighi
French Sounds at the Cathedral, Thu 8.2. at 7 pm
Edward Ananian-Cooper, conductor, Iida Antola, sopraano
Debussy – Ravel – Messiaen
Colourful Virtuoso, Thu 15.2. at 7 pm and Fri 16.2. at 6 pm
Gergely Madaras, dirigent, Noemi Gyori, flute
Ibert – Tšaikovski
Roller-coaster of Music, Fri 8.3. at 6 pm
Matti Koponen and Philip Zuckerman, leading and hosting
Richter – Schnittke – Bach – Pärt – Mozart – Beethoven – Haydn
Hope is in the Air, Thu 14.3. at 7 pm
Erle Kont, kapellimestari, Irina Zahharenkova, cembalo
Copland – Górecki – Sibelius
Easter Oratorio, Fri 29.3. at 6 pm
Ville Matvejeff, conductor, Kaisa Ranta, soprano, Wilhelmína Tómasdóttir, soprano, Maiju Vaahtoluoto, mezzosoprano, Johan Krogius, tenor, Nicholas Söderlund, bass, Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis.
Kostiainen
Storm Spell, Thu 11.4. at 7 pm and Fri 12.4. at 6 pm
Anu Tali, conductor, Mishka Rushdie Momen, piano
Tüür – Mozart – Dvořák
Eight Seasons, Thu 18.4. at 7 pm
Christian Kluxen, conductor, Carolina Eyck, theremin
Messiaen – Aho – Bartók
Northern Burning, Fri 26.4. at 6 pm
Emilia Hoving, conductor, Amalie Stalheim, cello
Munktell – Hillborg – Nielsen
Arrivederci!, Thu 16.5. at 7 pm
Christoph Poppen, conductor, Laura Mikkola, piano
Olivero – Ravel – Mendelssohn

29.12.2023 22.11

Musicians have escaped from the Concert Hall and are frolicking around Turku! During the week, you can find us in daily daytime concerts, swirling in the dance at shopping centers, feeling the jazz vibes at Ruissalo Shipyard, and enjoying super cute The Mole concerts.

All events will be announced during the spring, and the event list will be updated.

Join us and spot a musician!

28.12.2023 13.46

In the spring season, emotions resonate at full volume. Check out concert recommendations for the beginning of the year.

Great Symphony with Christian Kluxen

The spring season of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off with a resounding romantic symphony and an emotional and delicate song cycle. The charismatic Danish conductor Christian Kluxen dazzles the audience with his interpretations. The concert features Richard Strauss' emotional and delicate song cycle "Vier letzte Lieder" interpreted by soprano Christina Nilsson, and Rued Langgaard's almost cinematically thundering romantic symphony "Pastoral of the cliffs." The symphony's imaginative expression is dominated by the idea that "more is more." Thursday 11.1. at 7 pm, and Friday 12.1. at 6 pm at the Turku Concert Hall. Secure your seat now!

Passionate Mozart and Haydn

The works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn stir classicalism with restrained yet passionate fervor. Haydn's Sturm und Drang, or Storm and Passion, symphonies, including Lamentatione, are paired with Mozart's Viennese classical light-hearted symphony. Nordic top cellist Andreas Brantelid interprets Haydn's cello concerto. Friday 19.1. at 6 pm at the Turku Concert Hall.

Musical Journey Across the Americas

Starting with lively New Orleans ragtime, Suite Americana takes the listener on a journey across the Americas. Along the way, Brazilian bossa nova, Peruvian waltz, Argentine samba, and Mexican folk music become familiar. Chamber music concert on Sunday 21.1. at 3 pm at St. Henrik's Ecumenical Art Chapel.

Julian Rachlin returns to Turku

Julian Rachlin returns to Turku to perform one of the world's most famous concertos. Felix Mendelssohn's violin concerto is among the all-time favorite, most performed, and beloved classical music pieces. Once you've heard the opening notes of the violin concerto, you'll never forget them – such is the power of the work's atmosphere. Thursday 25.1. at 7 pm and Friday 26.1. at 6 pm at the Turku Concert Hall.

Postcards from Rome

These music postcards are stamped at the foot of the Colosseum and adorned with gelato! Ottorino Respighi's souvenirs are vignettes that depict Rome's fountains and pine trees. Gifts from Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi bring extravagant opera, with notes dripping with love, despair, intrigues, and emotional storms. Thursday 1.2. at 7 pm at the Turku Concert Hall.

French sounds at the Cathedral

Salut! Turku Cathedral will echo with French impressionists, offering delicate impressions, snapshots, and vibrant tones. The program includes Claude Debussy's "L’après-midi d’un faune" which begins with a memorable flute solo, and Olivier Messiaen's song cycle "Poèmes pour Mi," performed by soprano Iida Antola. Thursday 8.2. at 7 pm.

Flute virtuoso

Noemi Gyori takes on the challenge of Jacques Ibert's richly hued flute concerto, showcasing the instrument's clever, virtuosic, delicate, and passionate nature. The colorful melodies continue in Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, immediately gripping the listener's emotions and holding them captive until the final notes of the piece. Thursday 15.2. at 7 pm, and Friday 16.2. at 6 pm at the Turku Concert Hall.

 

 

19.12.2023 19.57

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Turku Jazz Orchestra are joining forces to offer music enthusiasts an unforgettable May Day concert celebrating the legendary composer maestro Henry Mancini's 100th anniversary. The concert on Wednesday, May 1, at 3 in in the Turku Concert Hall will feature Mancini's most iconic compositions in new, lush versions performed by the city's top orchestras, the brilliant big band, and the symphony orchestra. The fresh orchestrations are the work of conductor Ville Vannemaa.

Henry Mancini (1924–1994) is considered one of the most significant composers in film history. His accolades include four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards. Mancini's film music is characterized by strong melodies, universally recognized "earworms" such as Pink Panther and Baby Elephant Walk, timeless atmosphere, and imaginative use of various instruments in orchestrations. Additionally, Mancini was a pioneering composer, blending jazz influences with classical late-romantic orchestral music among the first. The May Day concert will feature music primarily from the films Hatari! (1962) and The Pink Panther (1963). 

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13.12.2023 08.50

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra's Junior Club embarks on a tour to residential areas around Turku for the first time in 2024. The Junior Club has been a part of TFO since 2008, and its events have been held at the Concert Hall. The goal of the tour organized alongside the Junior Club at the Concert Hall is to reach families in different areas, bring the orchestra closer to everyday life, make it easily accessible, and introduce children to the orchestra's activities and the world of music.

"Junior Club has been extremely popular during the autumn, with club evenings filling up as soon as they were announced. In the spring, we want to make the club more accessible outside the city center," says orchestra producer Anni Niemensivu.

The Junior Club offers children the opportunity to learn about music in a fun and engaging way. In the club, they explore the world of a symphony orchestra, instruments, and orchestra musicians. The program of club evenings includes orchestra-themed games and activities, musician visits, playing instruments, singing, and various workshops. The instructors for the spring clubs are music educator Katri Heino and early music education teacher Satu Kastell.

Club dates

During the spring season, the club will visit Ilpoinen Library on Tuesday, January 23rd, and February 13th, and Varissuo Library on Monday, March 4th, April 8th, and May 6th. In addition to the tour, the Junior Club will be held as usual at the Concert Hall on Wednesday, January 24th, February 14th, March 20th, April 17th, and May 15th.

For the Philharmonic Junior Club's Concert Hall evenings, pre-registration is required through the orchestra's website tfo.fi. Admission is free for the clubs at Ilpoinen and Varissuo libraries. Club activities are free of charge and are aimed at children aged 7–10.

Spring concerts for children

In addition to the Junior Club activities, TPO's spring season includes concerts for children and youth. In the Children's Music Salon on Sunday, February 11th, there will be music describing the life and activities of animals and creatures, brought to life by the shadow theater Aura of Puppets. On Friday, March 22nd, and Saturday, March 23rd, TFO will perform with the family-favorite band Hevisaurus.

4.12.2023 23.23

We are here throughout the Christmas season and New Year either by phone or in person. Check the opening hours for phone sales and ticket sales here.

Turku Concert Hall Sales Service

Phone sales at the concert hall is closed 27.–29.12.2023. At other times, we will assist you by phone as usual.

Phone: Mon–Tue and Thu–Fri 9 am–3 pm, Wed 9 am–12 pm
Tel. (02) 262 0333
kulttuuri.myynti@turku.fi

Turku Concert Hall Cultural Shop Ars Musica

Ticket sales and the Ars Musica cultural shop in the concert hall are closed 2.–5.1.2024. At other times, we will assist you in person as usual.

Turku Concert Hall, Aninkaistenkatu 9
Tue–Fri 12 pm–5 pm and in connection with TFO events until the start of the event.

Monitori Market Square

You can also make ticket purchases at the Monitori Market Square.

TFO Webshop 

You can buy tickets from the webshop regardless of the day and time.

Happy Christmas!

4.12.2023 17.39

Thank you for the past concert season! Hope it has been rewarding. Remember to renew your season ticket for the upcoming season as well.

Ten benefits for season ticket holders

  1. Up to 30 % discount on the total price. 
  2. 15 % discount on single tickets for TFO concerts that are not included in your season ticket.
  3. Season ticket for a child/student with half price. 
  4. The beest seats in the Concert Hal. 
  5. Your own seat that you can book for next season.
  6. Invitations to season ticket holders´ own events.
  7. Variable benefits in Concert Hall´s Ticket Sales.
  8. Coffee/tea free of charge when you purchase a pastry from Concert Hall´s café. 
  9. The change of the concert date free of charge for concerts performed twice. 
  10. Information about events and news among the first.

Season tickets are on sale until 11.1.2024.
You can repurchase your own, old seat 15.12.2023 the latest.

Questions? We are here for you

2.12.2023 09.21

Baritone Aarne Pelkonen and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra will perform atmospheric Christmas classics in the Beloved Christmas concerts on Thursday, December 7th, at 7 pm and Friday, December 8th, at 2 pm at the Concert Hall. The concerts will feature pieces such as "Jouluyö, juhlayö," "Sylvian joululaulu," and "Sydämeeni joulun teen." These concerts serve as release concerts for Pelkonen and TPO's "Rakas joulu" Christmas album, released on November 24th. The concerts will be conducted by Jutta Seppinen.

The "Rakas joulu" album includes nine beloved Christmas classics and two new compositions, with the song "Talvilaulu" being Aarne Pelkonen's own composition and "Metsän joulu" being composed by Antti Suonio. The TPO is led by Antti Rissanen on the album.

Baritone Aarne Pelkonen is one of the most sought-after opera and concert singers among the younger generation in Finland. He won the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2013 and the Sibelius Singing Competition in 2015, captivating audiences with his compelling interpretations both on opera stages and in lieder performances. In 2023, Pelkonen celebrates his 10th anniversary as an artist.

Conductor and mezzo-soprano Jutta Seppinen has led several orchestras in Finland and abroad. Seppinen is the founder of the multidisciplinary group CHANGEnsemble and the artistic director of Key Ensemble.

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Listen the Rakas joulu -album

Watch Aarne Pelkonen´s greeting (in Finnish)

 

29.11.2023 09.11

Esther Yoo on joutunut peruuttamaan esiintymisensä, ja viulisti Petteri Iivonen korvaa Yoon Titaaninen sinfonia -konserteissa torstaina 30.11. klo 19 ja perjantaina 1.12. klo 18. 

Ohjelmistoon ei tule muutoksia, ja Iivonen tulkitsee Samuel Barberin viulukonserton. 

Petteri Iivonen on yksi viime vuosien menestyneimmistä suomalaisista viulutaiteilijoista, jonka soittoa on ylistetty muun muassa virheettömän tekniikan (Il Gazzettino) ansiosta. Vuonna 2010 Iivonen sijoittui toiseksi kansainvälisessä Jean Sibelius -viulukilpailussa ja hän on legendaarisen Opéra National de Paris 1. konserttimestari.

Lue lisää konserteista ja osta liput