Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s 95th anniversary year continues with strong emotions and musical love stories
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert season 2025/26 offers passionate music experiences presenting love in its various forms as the unifying theme. The music tells stories of relationships, emotions and destinies of life. The programme is ranging from Bach's Christmas Oratorio to brand new music and premieres. The Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund is the theme composer of the season.
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO) and Tampere Hall in cooperation with Tampereen Energia will bring the traditional Park Concert into Sorsapuisto park on Saturday 9 August. Nightwish’s new album Yesterwynde will have its symphonic world premiere in Tampere at the end of August. The Nightwish Yesterwynde Orchestral – Tampere Filharmonia concerts will attract audience to Tampere Hall three times on 28 –30 August.
On 4 September, the TPO’s concert season 2025/26 will open with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which is one of the most beloved compositions in classical music. The work is particularly known for the sublime “Ode to Joy” melody in the fourth movement. The concert will be conducted by TPO’s Chief Conductor Matthew Halls. The soloists in the opening concert are soprano Helena Juntunen, alto Tuija Knihtilä, tenor Tuomas Katajala and bass Arttu Kataja and the choir is the Tampere Philharmonic Choir.
Romantic favourites and poignant novelties
This festive autumn, the orchestra wants to treat its audience to several romantic music favourites. The love theme will include magical works and musical love stories such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade (28 November), Igor Stravinsky’s Petruška, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. The series of beloved classics continues with Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 (10 October), Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 (31 October), Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 (12 September) and Symphonic Dances (12 December). A Mozart-themed concert will feature an enchanting program from the composer’s extensive output (19 September).
The music of Jean Sibelius will again feature strongly in the upcoming season. His work Tapiola will be featured in The King of the French Horn concert on 10 October. In the Independence Day concert, Sibelius’ Two Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra will be interpreted by TPO’s concertmaster Johannes Põlda, The concert will end with a festive Finlandia. Spring 2026 will feature Sibelius’s Symphonies No. 1 and No. 6 and Luonnotar.
The 95th anniversary year will end on 19 December with Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterful Weinachts Oratorium, conducted by Chief Conductor Matthew Halls. The work (parts I-III and VI) unites choir, soloists and orchestra in a seamless way and takes the audience deep into the Christmas story.
New acquaintances, commissioned works and first performances
Sebastian Fagerlund, one of the most internationally successful Finnish composers of his generation, will be the theme composer for the TPO’s 2025/26 season. Fagerlund’s music has been described as postmodern impressionism. Next autumn, his works Ignite (4 September) and Drifts (12 December) will be heard in Tampere.
– I look forward to future collaborations with the Tampere Philharmonics and Matthew Halls. The season 2025/2026 concerts will feature several of my earlier works. In addition, new music commissioned by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra will be heard during the upcoming season,” says composer Sebastian Fagerlund.
Steingrímur Rohloff’s Horn Concerto will be premiered in Finland in Tampere by Stefan Dohr (10 October) and the world premiere of composer Petri Nieminen’s new work will take place in December (6 December). Rohloff and Nieminen’s works are commissioned by TPO. British sitar player and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun will make his debut in Finland in November. He will take the audience on a journey of a thousand and one nights with his Sitar Concerto “Arya” (28 November). The list of contemporary music continues with Magnus Lindberg’s virtuosic Concerto for Orchestra (26 September) and Einojuhani Rautavaara’s beloved Cantus Arcticus, where birdsong blends with the instruments to take one on a journey through the soundscapes of Northern nature (6 December).
In the phenomenally popular SAGAS concert, listeners will be treated to a journey into the world of fantasy through the soundtracks of Game of Thrones, Skyrim, Lord of the Rings, The Legend of Zelda, and other TV series, films and games (14 November).
In the Echoes from Kalevala concert, songs composed and written by cantele artist Ida Elina and inspired by our national epic will bring the atmosphere of the 190th anniversary of Kalevala to life in a new way (3 October).
Anticipated first encounters and longed-for return visits
The autumn’s most anticipated guests include cellist Senja Rummukainen and conductor Kristian Sallinen, who will both perform on 26 September. Conductor Dima Slobodeniouk will return on 12th of December with a colourful programme featuring Thomas Adès, now called the cult composer of the day, played by Carl Nielsen Violin Competition winner Johan Dalene. Australian pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout’s interpretation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 24 will be heard on 19th of September. Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto on 7th of November.
Find more information on upcoming concerts at our concert calendar
How to buy tickets to TPO’s concerts
TPO announced its season 2025/26 concert programme on Tuesday 20 May 2025 at 5.30 pm in Tampere Hall. Season tickets for next autumn are now on sale. Series and individual tickets will be on sale on May 26 at 9 am onwards. Concert tickets can be purchased at Tampere Hall ticket office, Culture Shop Aplodi and Lippu.fi sales channels.
