Sastamala Gregoriana 30 years: Tears and Joy – Affects in Music 15-19 July 2026

For 30 years, Sastamala Gregoriana 2026 has brought together international artists, historical settings, and unforgettable musical experiences. In 2026, the festival celebrates its anniversary under the theme "Tears and Joy – Affects in Music".

The opening concert at St. Mary’s Church features the European Union Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Alfredo Bernardini, presenting a vibrant celebration of European Baroque music in the church’s extraordinary acoustics. But the evening does not end with applause — it begins again. After the concert, audiences and musicians gather at Tiilihovi for the first-ever Gregoriana Baroque jams, where improvisation, spontaneity, and shared joy dissolve the boundaries between performers and listeners. Kreeta-Maria Kentala and Andrew Lawrence-King explore the world of folk Baroque at the atmospheric Kivinavetta of Tyrvään Pappila. 

Fiery Spanish rhythms will fill the festival on Thursday. At Karkku Church, the vocal ensemble Lumous and Fioretto Ensemble transport audiences to 15th-century Iberia, into the turbulent and violent clashes between the Islamic Moorish rule and the Catholic kingdoms of Spain. Later that same evening, the acclaimed Spanish vocal ensemble Cantoría — praised by both critics and audiences alike — performs lively and playful Renaissance villancicos and ensaladas, musical “salads” overflowing with wit, colour, and love, in the concert “El jubilate”. Late on Thursday night, at St Olaf's Church in Tyrvää, audiences can immerse themselves in the lute songs of John Dowland in the candlelit concert “In Darkness Let Me Dwell”, performed by the Norwegian-British ensemble The Minstrels of Melodious Melancholy under the direction of Michael Fields.

Jakob Bloch Jespersen joins the Finnish Baroque Orchestra in a dramatic programme of love and war, while The Vicentino Singers perform Orlando di Lasso’s deeply moving Lagrime di San Pietro. The festival culminates in a concert by lautten compagney BERLIN directed by Wolfgang Katschner, where melancholy, the music of John Dowland, and Shakespeare’s sonnets intertwine. The hugely popular interactive musical city walk, Laulupolku, returns this year in the beautiful landscapes of Sastamala. 

Along the route, audiences encounter performances by Aino Peltomaa, Anthony Marini, Anu Mattila, and the historical dance group Trivalli. The programme also includes a children’s event at Mr. Clutterbuck’s House, pre-concert gatherings, musical dinners at Tyrvään Pappila, the new daily free event Funkkis’ Morning Coffee, late-night candlelit recitals at St. Olaf’s Church, and many more surprises.

Sastamala Gregoriana – Tears and Joy: Affects in Music 15–19 July 2026