Mikkeli Music Festival 2026

Programme

Our annual visit to Mikkeli Music Festival in Finland is a highlight in the Philharmonia’s concert calendar.

At the 2026 Festival, Santtu takes the helm for three concerts – including an evening in Helsinki – featuring some of the most popular works in classical music: Dvořák’s ‘New World’ and Saint-Saëns’s ‘Organ’ symphonies. And Erkki Lasonpalo conducts our closing concert, featuring jewels of the orchestral repertoire.

Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero joins as soloist in her own ‘Latin’ Piano Concerto. Described as “a chiaroscuro reflection on who we are as a continent, dark and light,” expect Latin American rhythms, intimate melodies, and a fiesta of a finale. And Lilja Haatainen performs one of the most dazzlingly challenging pieces to be written: Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1. At just 14 years old, Lilja is building her reputation as one of the most exciting violin virtuosos of her generation – this is a performance not to be missed.

A trip to Finland wouldn’t be complete without music by Sibelius. Enjoy two of the composer’s best-loved works – the tone poem Finlandia and his Second Symphony – in the idyllic settings of Mikkeli.