Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates 95 years of music with Sibelius and Britten as the highlights

The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate its 95th anniversary in 2025. The milestone year’s concert programme dazzles with its diversity. In addition to beloved classic works, the spring concerts will feature new pieces, premieres, rock and game music. The orchestra will start to collect memories of the shared journey, and call its audience to plan for the upcoming May Day concert. To mark the anniversary, the Tampere Philharmonic will introduce a new logo and visual identity.

Favorite works and fresh new pieces

Next year will sparkle with orchestral colors. The festive spring is framed by the music of Jean Sibelius: the opening concert on January 17, 2025, will feature Lemminkäinen, and the spring will culminate with Symphony No. 2 on May 22. The programme also includes audience favorites such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique,” Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable” and Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. On January 24, Chief Conductor Matthew Halls will conduct “Evening in Paris” concert with Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird in the programme.

“We are particularly excited about the world premiere of Minna Leinonen’s ‘Kuinkas sitten kävikään?’ on March 6. It is a multidisciplinary commissioned work by our orchestra, where Leinonen’s music combines with Tove Jansson’s story and illustrations. These collaboration concerts with the Tampere Moomin Museum are part of the programme celebrating 80 years of Moomins,” says Eija Oravuo, the General Manager of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

For the first time in Finland, audiences will hear American composer Jimmy López Bellido’s Symphony No. 3 “Altered Landscapes” on February 14 and Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Violin Concerto No. 3 “Conversations with the Unknown” on February 7. Other contemporary composers featured in the orchestral series include Missy Mazzoli, Outi Tarkiainen, Daníel Bjarnason, Victoria Poleva, Kaija Saariaho, Ryan Wigglesworth, as well as Aulis Sallinen and Arvo Pärt, both of whom will turn 90 next year. The chamber music series called “Afternoon of Fauns” will include the world premiere of Ilari Laakso’s “The garden swing in winter sleep” on March 16, along with music by Jouni Kaipainen, Caroline Shaw, Maurice Ravel and Johannes Brahms.

“The absolute masterpiece of the spring will be the British composer Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. This poignant work is one of the most significant choral-orchestral compositions of the 20th century, rarely performed in Finland. We will present it in April (April 4) with magnificent soloists and choirs,” Oravuo continues.

During the spring, there will also be adventures in the world of game music (March 28) and a deep dive into the works of pop music genius Frank Zappa (April 11). The May Day Concert of your Dreams (May 1) will feature audience-selected favorite tunes, with baritone Waltteri Torikka as the soloist. The finals of the Tampere Piano Competition 2025 will be held on May 14 and 15. In addition to the “Kuinkas sitten kävikään?” concerts, families will be treated to the “Villiä menoa” (Wild things) children’s concert in the orchestra’s chamber music series on April 27.

Beloved artists return

Conductors Thomas Dausgaard (January 31), Anna-Maria Helsing (February 14) and John Storgårds (April 25) will make a welcome return to the Tampere Philharmonic. Pekka Kuusisto will make his debut in Tampere as a conductor on April 17.

The series of Ludwig van Beethoven’s piano concertos, which began in autumn 2023 with the renowned pianist Paul Lewis, will culminate in the fifth piano concerto, also known as the “Emperor,” in the opening concert of spring 2025 on January 17.

Pianist Steven Osborne will perform Ryan Wigglesworth’s piano concerto under the composer’s own baton on May 9. Violinist Elina Vähälä will return on April 25 with Aulis Sallinen’s violin concerto and the star violinist Vadim Gluzman, requested by the Tampere audience, will be the soloist in Erkki-Sven Tüür’s violin concerto on February 7. Cellist Andreas Brantelid will return with Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations on January 31. In the season’s final concert, flutist Adam Walker will perform Kaija Saariaho’s Aile de Songe on May 22.

The anniversary year stands out also in the city

In its 95th anniversary year, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra will renew its logo and visual identity. The new visual identity, designed by Antti Porkka from the design agency Porkka ID, reflects the orchestra’s role as the orchestra of the “city of rapids” and as an international cultural entity that creates energy and well-being both near and far. The implementation of the visual identity is carried out by the Tampere Philharmonic in collaboration with the advertising agency Värikäs.

“The anniversary year offers us a great opportunity to look back and gaze into the future. Antti Porkka has skilfully and freshly brought the orchestra’s brand up to date, without forgetting our roots,” says Leena Mäki-Suominen, the Communications Specialist of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

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The spring programme for the Tampere Philharmonic’s 95th anniversary year was published on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Ticket sales for the spring 2025 season has begun. Concert calendar and ticket prices can be found at the orchestras’s website. Concert tickets can be purchased at the Tampere Hall ticket office, Culture Shop Aplodi and Lippu.fi sales channels.

Tampere Philharmonic 95 anniversary year will begin with the spring season 2025 opening concert on January 17, at 7 PM in the Tampere Hall Main Auditorium.