Time of Music – Musiikin aika

Time of Music 2026

Inspired by the theme “Once Upon a Time,” the programme brings together musical stories from different generations. The Frankfurt-based Fabrik Quartet will open the festival with String Creatures by Liza Lim. The work presents string instruments as living organisms, whose sounds form a glittering fabric.

The opening concert will also feature the European premiere of Elwha! by Annea Lockwood and Claire Chase. Composed for seven flutes, electronics, and lights, the piece reflects on the restoration of the ecosystem of the Elwha River in the United States. Performed by contemporary music superstar Claire Chase, the work is also part of her Density 2036 commissioning project. Lockwood will visit Viitasaari as a teacher for Chase’s Environmental Dialogue masterclass.

Sound artist Annika Fuhrmann and electric guitarist Jukka Kääriäinen will perform Heinz-Juhani Hofmann’s mini-opera Didi vs the World on Wednesday, 1st July at Viitasaari Theatre. In the work’s dramatic scenes, the young neurodivergent Didi searches for her place in a world defined by rules and norms.

The German Trio Abstrakt will perform on Thursday, 2nd July with its fascinating instrumentation: saxophone, piano, and a stage full of percussion instruments. This is the ensemble’s first appearance in Finland. The programme explores disorientation and the transformations born from travel and stepping outside one’s comfort zone.

The flute superstar Claire Chase, will present works from her own Density 2036 project in a solo concert on 3rd July at the Viitasaari Theatre. The festival culminates in a piano recital by Robert Fleitz, in which the composer-pianist explores his own biography and those of composers important to him through the piano – sometimes truthfully, sometimes through unpredictable new interpretations.

Welcome to Viitasaari Finland on June 30 to July 5! 

👉 Find Tickets to Time of Music.

CONCERTS 2026

• Tue 30th June, Viitasaari Church at 19.00: Opening Concert: On strings, air and rivers. Fabrik Quartet, Claire Chase
• Wed 1st July, Viitasaari Theatre at 19.00: Didi vs The World
• Thu 2nd July, Viitasaari Parish Hall at 19.00: Traces of Transformation. Trio Abstrakt
• Fri 3rd July, Viitasaari Theatre at 16.30: Sonic Rituals. Claire Chase
• Fri 3rd July, Viitasaari Church at 19.00: A String Quartet Party. Fabrik Quartet, Petri Kumela
• Sat 4th July, Viitasaari Parish Hall at 16.00: Environmental dialogue – Course Concert
• Sat 4th July, Viitasaari Church at 19.00: Cartography of Avantgarde. Continuum XXI
• Sun 5th July, School Centre at 16.00: Composing Time and Space – Course Concert
• Sun 5th July, Viitasaari Parish Hall at 19.00: (Auto)bio­grap­hy of Sty­le. Robert Fleitz

More information: https://musiikinaika.org/en/