Espoo’s cultural facilities celebrate Finnish Music Day

Jean Sibelius Day, which is also known as Finnish Music Day, is celebrated on 8 December. The date is Sibelius’ (8 December 1865–20 September 1957) birthday. The music of the national composer played an important role in shaping the Finnish identity, and the date was a flag day recommended by the Ministry of the Interior from 2005 to 2010. It became an established flag day and Finnish Music Day in 2011. (source: Nimipäivät.fi(external link, opens in a new window))

Espoo’s cultural facilities want to commemorate the joint day of celebration by highlighting amazing Finnish artists and drawing attention to topical matters in the field.

One of the current topics of conversation is ticket price. For example, the Teosto website states that, “according to IFPI Finland’s and Teosto’s Music Listening in Finland 2024 study, the high price of music events has been the most important reason to not buy tickets for most Finns.”

Read more about the topic in the news article on the Teosto website (in Finnish) “Music Listening in Finland 2024: Finns already consider gig and concert ticket prices to be too high – has the ceiling been reached?"(external link, opens in a new window) (04 October 2024). 

At Espoo’s cultural facilities, ticket prices have remained moderate. 

“One important value and goal in our operations is accessibility. We aim towards improved financial and social accessibility: culture and events must also be available at affordable ticket prices. With the Kaikukortti card, you can obtain free tickets to many of our events. Moreover, the Sellosali programme features entirely free events, such as films, afternoon concerts and day dance events with live accompaniment,” says Henna Salo, Sello Hall Production Manager. 

With the Kaikukortti card, you can get free tickets to cultural events covered by the Kaikukortti network, even if they are held at other cultural facilities in Espoo. Read more about the Kaikukortti card on the Sello Hall website.  

Musician Verneri Pohjola, founding member of Ilmiliekki Quartet and one of the most important music creators in the field of jazz, will be playing in Sello Hall on Friday 20 December. The Emma Salokoski & Ilmiliekki Quartet ensemble brings together some of the top players in Nordic jazz and one of the most evocative Finnish signers Emma Salokoski.They will be performing both Christmas classics and all-new music exploring the spirit of the modern holiday season.

Jean Sibelius Day (Finnish Music Day) on 8 December is important to Verneri Pohjola.

“Celebrating music is important, because it is one of humankind’s most important positive achievements. Finnish music deserves to be celebrated with its own commemorative day. In practice, the day has often involved commissioned works or celebratory concerts, which is always a wonderful thing. Jean Sibelius has become a monument of Finnish music. In my opinion, Sibelius brings Finns together across a wide emotional spectrum. It would be interesting to hear “Janne’s” thoughts about the current cultural policy or the platform industry, for example,” Verneri says. 

Inspired by the love of beautiful Christmas carols.

"It is amazing to be able to play Christmas carols in the way that I experience them. We have a long shared history with Ilmiliekki Quartet and Emma Salokoski, covering many great projects. Some years ago, we made new versions of Sibelius’ solo songs, which was quite an honour on its own since permissions for arrangements of his songs are notoriously difficult to secure. This year’s Christmas concert naturally feature a song by Sibelius but also some entirely new Christmas carols,” Verneri describes.

There are many amazing aspects of Sello Hall.

"Without a doubt, the best thing about Sello Hall is its amazing staff who always make artists feel welcome and handle things with the utmost professionalism every time. The technology of the hall is also first rate, which makes the listening experience truly spectacular,” the musician says, praising the venue. 

This year marks 50 years from the first release of Finnhits, a series of Finland’s most famous compilations of popular music. The tour to commemorate the anniversary year will end at the Espoo Cultural Centre on Finnish Music Day, Sunday 8 December. The Finnhits collections have been very important for Finnish music culture because they have compiled together many Finnish hits and cemented as part of the collective cultural memory.

In the celebratory concerts, the evergreen hits will be interpreted by Tiina Räsänen, Annika Eklund, Tomi Metsäketo and Sami Hintsanen. The vocalists will be accompanied by the anniversary orchestra led by conductor Jari Puhakka. The list of nationally famous hits to be performed includes Nosta lippu salkoon, Eviva Espanja, Avaa sydämesi mulle, Vasten auringon siltaa, Sininen ja valkoinen, Viisitoista kesää and R-A-K-A-S.

Further information about the 50 years of Finnhits concert is available on the espoo.fi website. 

A wide variety of Finnish music will be available at the Espoo Cultural Centre next year, too. The performers include Philomela, Kiuas and Värttinä & Luomuduo:

Philomela – “Kaikki maailman aika” concert Friday 24 January 

Philomela is a globally known and esteemed choir and an international ambassador of Finnish choir and music culture. The themes of the concert centre around northern musical traditions and languages.
Read more about Philomela’s concert at espoo.fi.  

Kiuas – The Spirit of Ukko 20th Anniversary concert Saturday 1 February. 

One of the most iconic albums of Finnish metal, ‘The Spirit of Ukko’ by Kiuas, is turning 20 this year. In the spring of the anniversary year 2025, the original line-up of the band will be playing in four cities. Naturally, the celebratory tour will start on the group’s native soil in the Espoo Cultural Centre. 
Read more about the concert The Spirit of Ukko 20th Anniversary on the espoo.fi website.  

Värttinä & Luomuduo Saturday 1 March
Värttinä is the crown jewel of Finnish folk music, which will respect tradition by releasing a new album on Kalevala Day 1 March.
Read more about the Värttinä & Luomuduo concert on the espoo.fi website. 

In addition to Sello Hella and the Cultural Centre, it is also a good idea to stop by at underground venue Kannusali on 29 November to get a head start on Finnish Music Day. Värttinä, the crown jewel of Finnish folk music, will take the stage and perform.
Read more about Värttinä’s concert at Kannusali espoo.fi. 

Espoo’s cultural facilities wish you a good Finnish Music Day 8 December!