Turku Philharmonic Orchestra opens Music Centre Fuuga

A new era begins for the TPO! The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra will open the Music Centre Fuuga under the baton of its chief conductor John Storgårds, accompanied by soprano Karita Mattila, and music will be heard for the first time in the long-awaited concert hall on November 12–14, 2026. The orchestra will also play the first notes in the entire building when Fuuga opens its doors to the public.

“Moving to Fuuga is a long-awaited dream come true for the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra! We will finally have a hall designed for the sound of a large symphony orchestra,” comments chief executive Nikke Isomöttönen.

The opening concerts on November 12–14, 2026, will feature Richard Wagner’s festive Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture as a fanfare for a new chapter not only in the orchestra’s history but also in the musical life of Finland as a whole. Karita Mattila has chosen songs by Jean Sibelius and Alban Berg for the opening program, interspersed with the world premiere of Eirene, Peace, by Ukrainian composer Victoria Polevá. The TFO warmly welcomes its audience to its new hall with the monumental grandeur of Sibelius’s Kalevala, the melody of Lemminkäinen. The program for all three opening concerts is identical.

The upcoming symphony concerts, Embracing Sound on November 19–20 and Mesmerizing Harmony on November 26–27, are designed to showcase the sound of a large symphony orchestra in the magnificent acoustics of the new hall.

“The TFO is in great shape and ready to show what a fine orchestra sounds like in world-class acoustics.  Different sound worlds will open up in Fuuga in a way that we have never been able to experience in Turku before,” Isomöttönen continues.

In the Embracing Sound concert, the TFO will be joined on stage by violinist Minami Yoshida, who won the hearts of the jury and audience at the 2025 International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in 2025, winning second prize and a special prize donated by the Sibelius family for the best performance of a Sibelius violin concerto. The program, conducted by Kevin John Edusei, naturally includes Jean Sibelius’s violin concerto, as well as Zoltán Kodály’s Suite from the opera Háry János and Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks.

In the concert Mesmerizing Harmony, cellist Maximilian Hornung, who has performed with the Berlin and London Philharmonic Orchestras, among others, interprets Antonín Dvořák’s expressive cello concerto. The program, conducted by Gilbert Varga, also includes Maurice Ravel’s orchestral suite Ma mère l’Oye which sets familiar folk tales to music, and La valse, a musically dazzling and wildly passionate piece that evokes the waltzes of the imperial court of a bygone era.

“The first concerts will fill the hall with sound in all its glory, and that’s just the beginning. Welcome to a new era for the orchestra at Fuuga!” says Chief Conductor John Storgårds.

The traditional Turku Independence Day concerts will be held for the first time at Fuuga on 12.6.2026 with Emilia Hoving conducting the orchestra.

The TPO in Cinema series continues with Home Alone in Concert from December 15 to 17. This Christmas season favorite is a beloved comedy classic that charms audiences with its warmth and humor. The film will be projected onto a large screen in the concert hall, and the music will be performed live by the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Stefan Geiger.

TFO concerts in 2026 at the Turku Music Center Fuuga, Concert Hall:

Opening concert, 12–14.11.2026
Embracing Sound, 19–20.11.2026
Mesmerizing Harmony, 26–27.11.2026
City of Turku Independence Day Gala Concert, 6.12.2026
TFO at the Movies: Home Alone, December 15–17.11.2026

Tickets for the concerts are on sale. For more information and online sales, visit tfo.fi.