Helsinki Festival seizes the new

 

The Opening Club on the first night of the festival on Friday, August 20, blends electronic music with classical sounds played by the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and a visual chamber music installation, culminating in soul music.

 

As a recollection of times when music was mostly played in homes and as a reminder of what instruments sound like in intimate surroundings rather than all-absorbing concert halls, top Finnish musicians give unique concerts in Helsinki homes to small audiences.

 

One of Helsinki Festival’s many cooperating events, Media Facades brings experimental media art installations to urban spaces, many of them simultaneously in many of the seven participating European metropolises. Art goes Kapakka puts diverse performers on to stage in Helsinki pubs, bars and restaurants.

 

In Happy Helsinki, a group of artists let art loose among people in events that mimic the phases of a creative process. Music workshops will be organized for citizens where they learn to play a new reggae-type composition, and people will dance to the tune on Helsinki’s Senate Square on The Night of the Arts.

 

The traditional part of the festival offers a rich palette of cultural events that comprise music, theatre, dance, circus, stage performers, visual art, and a kids’ programme.

 

The extensive classical music programme features top international and domestic performers. The Huvila Tent, put up each year for the festival, features music from around the world. The theatre, dance and circus programme offers something for the whole family. The stage festival programme includes contemporary theatre by companies from many European countries.