The Helsinki Festival, the largest multi-arts festival in the Nordic countries, will take place across Helsinki this summer from 14 to 31 August. The programme will showcase a wide range of Finnish art and culture excellence alongside international talent.
“The key role in the 2025 Helsinki Festival will be played by top-notch productions at the intersection of internationality and Finnishness, connecting world-class creators with Finnish expertise,” says Johanna Freundlich, Artistic Director of the Helsinki Festival.
One of the highlights of the festival will be the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, one of the world’s most prestigious ensembles, which will perform at the festival on 28 August. The orchestra comprises top musicians from all over Europe, including Finland, and collaborates with the world’s leading conductors and soloists. The orchestra and its musicians are united by a musical vision that transcends borders and nationalities. During the Helsinki Festival, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe will present a diverse repertoire of orchestral and vocal music from the 20th century, including works by George Gershwin, Kurt Weill, Igor Stravinsky and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, among others. The orchestra will be conducted by British conductor Robin Ticciati at the Helsinki Music Centre (Musiikkitalo).
The Bang on a Can All-Stars, founded in 1997 in connection with the New York-inspired band Bang on a Can, and the Grammy-winning Helsinki Chamber Choir under the direction of Nils Schweckendiek will present the European premiere of David Lang’s new work before and after nature on 20 August 20. The piece is a meditation on nature – on the time before and after human existence. Lang composed the texts for Bang on a Can All-Stars and choir and invited video artist Tal Rosner, who has created visual worlds for The Rolling Stones’ concert spectacles, to create a visual representation of the music using video and projection. before and after nature is a profound and immersive total work of sound and image.
Finnish circus skills and the debut of the new band of Nightwish frontmen
Kalle Nio, a leading figure in Finnish multi-arts, brings to the Helsinki Festival the stage performance Tempo, which explores the concept of time. Based on a text by Harry Salmenniemi as well as wordless scenes built around dance and stage illusions, the work is choreographed by Brazilian-Swedish Fernando Melo. Melo has crafted a choreography that defies both gravity and time for three exceptional dancers. The music for Tempo is composed by Samuli Kosminen.
Drawing from Celtic folk and cinematic pop, Auri is a collaboration between Johanna Kurkela and Nightwish frontmen Tuomas Holopainen and Troy Donockley. The band was born from the need for a creative outlet free from the expectations of their main bands and audiences. With their third album to be released in August 2025, Auri will take the stage for the first time and perform in the Huvila Festival Tent on 23 August.
