Sold out: Helsinki Festival: Sibelius Academy & Royal College of Music

Royal College of Music and the Sibelius Academy’s symphony orchestras together conducted by Sakari Oramo

Sibelius-Akatemian sinfoniaorkesteri: Tsekki idän ja lännen välissä 2022

There will be a massive burst of energy from young musicians, when Professor Sakari Oramo brings together the symphony orchestras of two leading music academies, the Royal College of Music from London and the Sibelius Academy of University of the Arts Helsinki. The combined orchestra will perform at Helsinki Festival’s final concert at the Musiikkitalo Concert Hall on 1 September 2024. 

The concert programme includes Jean Sibelius’ The Wood Nymph Op. 15, Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Lara Poe’s Songs from the Countryside, which will be sung by soprano Anu Komsi. The Finnish-American and London-based Poe’s brand new suite examines our relationship with animals. The BBC commissioned piece was written for Anu Komsi. The new work is bookended by giants of Finnish and British music, Sibelius and Holst and will be premiered at the BBC Proms a week before the Helsinki Festival.

Performers

  • Symphony Orchestra of the Royal College of Music (London)
  • Symphony Orchestra of the Sibelius Academy of University of the Arts Helsinki
  • Helsinki Chamber Choir
  • Sakari Oramo, conductor
  • Anu Komsi, soprano

Programme

  • Jean Sibelius: The Wood Nymph Op.15
  • Lara Poe: Songs from the Countryside
  • Gustav Holst: The Planets

About the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra

The Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra has been the backbone of Finnish orchestral training since 1916. In its spectacular productions, the Academy’s students are given the opportunity to showcase their skills in a full orchestra, alongside world-renowned professionals such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Okko Kamu, John Storgårds, Osmo Vänskä, Sakari Oramo, Mikko Franck, Eva Ollikainen, Hannu Lintu ja Susanna Mälkki.   

The orchestra’s home is the Musiikkitalo (Helsinki Music Centre) concert hall. It also regularly visits other venues both in Finland and abroad. We work with the world’s leading music universities to prepare students for an increasingly international and demanding working life. In our projects, students get to work with top professionals and network under the guidance of, for example, composers, conductors, musicians and agents in educational institutions around the world. Sakari Oramo, Professor of Orchestra Education, is responsible for the educational content of the orchestra. He also conducts the orchestra regularly. Currently he is the Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. 

The internationally renowned Sibelius Academy has educated thousands of artists and music experts since 1882. We are proud of our heritage, and we consider preserving and updating music culture as our fundamental task. Uncompromising enthusiasm for getting things done and a love for music are at the core of our activities. In recent years, we have been ranked among the world’s best institutions of higher education in the performing arts (QS World University Rankings by Subject). The cornerstones of our operations are teaching, research, and artistic activities. We are one of Europe’s largest music academies and an international community of about 1,400 students and 500 teachers. The focus of the studies is for students to grow into professional artists who know their own creative identity. Public concerts are an essential part of how our students grow to become artists. We showcase our artistic activities in about a thousand concerts and other events each year. The events are held at the core of Helsinki’s cultural life, at the Helsinki Music Centre. 

Further information

Nina Lackman
nina.lackman@uniarts.fi

The concert is supported by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.

News about the concert

Time

1.9.2024 at 16:00 – 18:00

Location

Concert Hall

Mannerheimintie 13a

00100 Helsinki

Helsinki Music Centre

Tickets

15–44 €

Location on map

See directions