Oulunsalo Soi's new artistic director, violist Atte Kilpeläinen, has unveiled his first program.

"Over the years, I've had the opportunity to plan concert programs in many places, but this festival feels like a clearing of the hard drive. It became clear quite soon that now is the right moment to get the ideas out of my system," Kilpeläinen describes the planning of his first festival. "The concept for some concerts has been brewing in my mind for well over ten years."

One of these long-gestating ideas is a musical trial to be heard on Thursday, August 8th, exploring how much of Brahms' music can be legally battered. The courtroom drama concert will take place in the council chamber of the Oulunsalo municipal hall. Alongside Kilpeläinen, pianist Anna Laakso and bassoonist Etienne Boudreault will perform, with actor Timo Vuento serving as judge.

French photographer Christelle Mas serves as the festival's visual artist. Her exhibition "Paradise" will be displayed at the Oulunsalo library from August 8th to September 27th in collaboration with Photo North – Northern Photography Center. The opening of the exhibition on Thursday, August 8th, is part of the festival program. The festival's visual identity, as usual, is based on the works of the visual artist of the year.

The festival's opening concert on Wednesday, August 7th, is a tribute to deceased composers. In the White Hall of the Provincial Government Building, the Takapiha Quartet honors the virtuosity of composers like Jaakko Kuusisto and Kaija Saariaho by performing their compositions.

Friday, August 9th, promises two very different concerts at the Cultural Centre Valve. The evening kicks off with a laid-back after-work concert in café, Valveen Paljetti, where J.S. Bach's music collides with Finnish humppa. The evening concludes in Valvesali with compositions inspired by mothers. Belgian accordion virtuoso Philippe Thuriot performs in both concerts.

Saturday begins with the "Tears" concert at Kempele Old Church, where Oulu Baroque Orchestra's Obo Ensemble plays compositions from the Baroque era and modern arrangements. In the evening, RioLive stage hosts Samae Koskinen, who has garnered much attention from his latest album release.

The festival's final day begins with a concert based on J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations, where five musicians rearrange the hugely popular piece in a completely new order. The last concert on Sunday starts 200 years ago and ends with a recent composition. This musical journey creates a performance like no other.

Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival takes place in the Oulu region from August 7th to 11th. The festival, consisting of nine concerts and an art exhibition opening, brings top chamber music names from Finland and abroad to the Oulu region for the 27th time.

The Oulu-based photographer Christelle Mas has been selected as the Visual Artist of the Year for the Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival. Mas, who collaborates extensively across various media, combines artistic and scientific methods, utilizing soft materials, installations, videos, and photographs. The Visual Artist of the Year was chosen in collaboration with Photo North – Northern Photography Center.

"Working across various media, Christelle Mas explores the relationship between technology and humans, future scenarios, and interactions between species, making her a relevant artist. The exhibition at the Oulunsalo library, combining soft materials, installation elements, and video, expands the concept of photography and invites immersion into a multidimensional and perhaps slightly humorous utopia of the future," commented Darja Zaitsev, the director of Photo North – Northern Photography Center.

In her work, Mas explores human connections to technology and other species, often imagining future scenarios where genetically modified species coexist with humans in unfamiliar environments. Her works blur the boundaries between science and mythology, as well as between natural and artificial elements.

Mas holds a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Sorbonne University in Paris, where she also completed a Bachelor's degree in Art Philosophy. Her works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Finland and internationally. As usual, the visual identity of the Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival will be illustrated by the artwork of the Visual Artist of the Year.

Oulunsalo Soi is a versatile, intimate and high-class chamber music festival that brings great pieces, premieres and musical delights to the Oulu region. The festival’s concerts and events take place from 9th to 13th of August and there's a special concert organized with Literary Art Festival Muusajuhlat on 20th of August.

This year the festival wraps around Leevi Madetoja and his works. It's a rare occasion that Madetoja's compositions for violin and piano are played, and during this years Oulunsalo Soi, we can hear every one of those fantastic miniatures.

Every festival has also a visual artist of the year, who this year is Mika Kiviniemi. Kiviniemi's exhibition Rajapinta is open at Oulunsalo library from 10th of August to 28th of September and the opening of the exhibition is a part of this years festival.

Tickets for the concerts can be bought from Ticketmaster.

The festival’s concerts and events are surprising, touching, and sometimes a bit whimsical too. Oulunsalo Soi presents both international and domestic top names and rising stars. The concerts invite you to more traditional concert halls as well as new venues.

The artistic director of the festival is pianist Mika Rännäli. The visual artist of the year is selected for the festival every year in cooperation with the Northern Photography Center.

The festival is produced by the Oulu Cultural Events Association.

Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival takes place in Oulu and Oulunsalo on 10–14 August. Consisting of eight concerts and an art exhibition opening, the festival brings top names in chamber music to the Oulu region for the 25th time. This is the pianist Mika Rännäli's first year as the artistic director of the festival.

"The inexhaustible treasure trove of the history of music is, in addition to the often played classics, full of wonderful works that, for one reason or another, have either never been performed or only very rarely," Rännäli opens the theme of the festival. A good example is Paul Juon's rarely played masterpiece for piano trio from 1932, which will be heard in the Tulindberg Hall at the Sävelsilta Concert on Friday 12 August. In addition to Rännäli, the violinist Emma Vähälä and cellist Sennu Laine will perform at the concert.

Photographer and visual storyteller Aino Väänänen is the festival's visual artist of the year. Her exhibition Vanishing Point is on display at the Oulunsalo library from 10 August to 29 September and it is organized in cooperation with the Northern Photographic Centre. The exhibition opening on Wednesday 8 August is part of the festival programme. The visual appearance of the festival is based on the works of the visual artist of the year.

Chamber Music Safari on Saturday

On Saturday 13 August the festival offers a full chamber music experience in form of a chamber music safari, which includes four very different concerts within walking distance of each other in the Oulu city centre. The tour starts with three hour-long concerts and ends with an almost two-hour evening jam, which brings together all the performers of the day for a musical evening. Jenni Kinnunen, the dramatist and artistic director of the Northern Opera Company, will be the guide for the safari.

A few picks from Saturday's concerts: a solo concert at Läänihallitus by Ahti Alavillamo, who won the second prize in the Leevi Madetoja Piano Competition; a classic of all classics, an original version of Mozart's beautiful clarinet quintet at the Aleksinkulma Hall, and a wide range of vocal and piano music by female composers at Rio Live. The safari features soprano Helena Juntunen, clarinetist Michał Konopiński, violinists Emma Vähälä and Lasse Joamets, violist Johanna Tuikka, cellist Sennu Laine, and pianists Vanessa Cunha and Mika Rännäli.

Try Me Good King on the closing day

The festival Sunday takes us back to the roots of the festival at the Oulunsalo church, where two works of different styles and composed in different eras will be heard, interpreted by the Virtuosi di Kuhmo chamber orchestra. In addition to Felix Mendelssohn's string octet, the prorgramme includes an intense Partita for string octet by the contemporary composer Sally Beamish.

The festival ends with the musical play Try Me Good King, which deals with the theme of the wrong use of power. American Libby Larsen's song series Try Me, Good King is based on authentic letters from the wives of King Henry VIII of England and words spoken on the scaffold.

More info about the festival programme and tickets at the festival's website: www.oulunsalosoi.fi

Oulunsalo Soi 2022 programme

Vanishing Point – Art Exhibition Opening of the Visual Artis of the Year
Wed 10 Aug at 18:00, Oulunsalo Library
Aino Väänänen
Exhibition open: 10 August – 29 September

Young Artist's Lunch Concert
Thurs 11 Aug 12:00, Theatre Restaurant Vänmanni
Students from Oulu Conservatory

Bridge of Notes
Fri 12 Aug 19:00, Tulindberg Hall
Emma Vähälä, violin
Sennu Laine, cello
Mika Rännäli, piano

Dmitri Shostakovitsh (1906–1975): Piano trio No. 1, Op. 8, C minor
Paul Juon (1872–1940): Suite for piano, violin and cello Op. 89
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano trio No. 1, Op. 8, H Major

Chamber Music Safari
Sat 13 August 12:30–21, four concerts in the Oulu city centre

Future Promise
12:30, Lääninhallitus Hall

Solo concert by Ahti Alavillamo

Golden Dances of the Pharaohs
14:30, Aleksinkulma Hall

Michał Konopiński, clarinet/baset clarinet
Emma Vähälä, violin
Lasse Joamets, violin
Johanna Tuikka, viola
Sennu Laine, cello

Victoria Borisova-Ollas (1969-): Faaraoiden kultatanssit
Esa-Pekka Salonen (1958-): Homunculus
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791): Clarinet quintet, A Major, K. 581

Music by Women
17:00, Rio Live

Helena Juntunen, soprano
Vanessa Cunha, piano

Amy Beach (1867–1944): Four Sketches Op. 15

Ester Mägi (1922–2021): Lapi joiud

Maria Luisa Priolli (1915–2000): Improvisadinho
Arabesco

Alda Caminha (1899–1976): Evocação

Nida Marchioni (1921­–2008): Batuque

Unsuk Chin (1961–): Etude No. 5 ”Toccata”

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847): Dämmrung senkte sich von oben
Vorwurf Op 10 No. 2

Helvi Leiviskä (1902–1982): Runolintuni Op. 34 No. 1
Sydän, Op. 13 No. 1

Alma Mahler (1879–1964): In meines Vaters Garten
Ansturm
Der Erkennende

Lili Boulanger (1893–1918): Clarières dans le ciel

Clara Schumann (1819–1896): Ich stand in dunkle
Träumen Op. 13 No. 1
Am Strande

Laura Netzel (1839–1927): Ave Maria Op. 41

Evening Jam
19:00, Rio Live

Helena Juntunen, soprano
Michał Konopiński, clarinet
Emma Vähälä, violin
Lasse Joamets, violin
Johanna Tuikka, viola
Sennu Laine, cello
Vanessa Cunha, piano
Mika Rännäli, piano

Soulmates
Sun 14 Aug at 15:00, Oulunsalo Church

Virtuosi di Kuhmo Chamber Orchestra
Anna-Leena Haikola, Petri Aarnio, Kati Kuusava, Terhi Paldanius, violin
Riitta-Liisa Ristiluoma, Olli Kilpiö, viola
Jussi Vähälä, Mikko Ivars, cello

Sally Beamish (1956–): Partita for string octet
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847): String octet

Try Me Good King
Sun 14 Aug at 18:00, Cultural Centre Valve, Valvesali Hall

Dramaturgy and director: Kati Outinen
Choreography and director: Minna Tervamäki
Lights: Janne Teivainen
Costumes: Minna Tervamäki ja Anja Behm
Music: Libby Larsen, Tobias Hume, William Byrd, Jacques-Martin Hotteterre and Henrik VIII

Pia Freund, soprano
Kati Outinen, actress
Minna Tervamäki, dancer
Pauliina Fred, traverso ja recorder
Louna Hosia, viola da gamba
Petteri Pitko, harpsichord