The full concert programme for Time of Music 2026 has now been released. In addition to the three concerts announced earlier, the festival programme now includes soprano Annika Fuhrmann’s mini-opera series Didi vs. the World, the German ensemble Trio Abstrakt, a solo concert by flutist Claire Chase, and a piano recital by Robert Fleitz. Inspired by the theme “Once Upon a Time,” the programme brings together musical stories from different generations.
International Ensembles and Mini-Opera
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. Audiences can also follow Didi’s story through the character’s own social media account.
“Everything is a godd😈n mess, and not just inside my head. […] 🪞 Don’t you see how broken you are? 💔 You’re the ones who need help, not me.”
– Didi Hakkarainen
Several internationally acclaimed contemporary music ensembles will visit Viitasaari. In addition to the already announced Fabrik Quartet and Continuum XXI, the German Trio Abstrakt will perform on Thursday, 2nd July with its fascinating instrumentation: saxophone, piano, and a stage full of percussion instruments. The ensemble’s first concert in Finland features works by composers Marco Momi, Isabel Mundry, Michael Finnissy, and Milica Djordjević. The programme explores disorientation and the transformations born from travel and stepping outside one’s comfort zone.
Solo Concerts and Masterclass Creations
The teacher of the Environmental Dialogues masterclass, flute superstar Claire Chase, will present works from her own Density 2036 project in a solo concert on 3rd July at the Viitasaari Theatre. Chase will also appear in the opening concert, performing Annea Lockwood’s Elwha!. Density 2036 is Chase’s 24-year commissioning project honoring composer Edgard Varèse’s famous solo flute work Density 21.5 (1936). The internationally acclaimed initiative commissions and develops new flute repertoire, with selected works featured in the concert.
At the concert of Chase’s masterclass on Saturday, July 4, audiences will experience open-form ensemble works performed by the course participants. The course also features Annea Lockwood – the grand old lady of ecological music – as a guest mentor. Her work bayou-borne will likewise be performed in the masterclass’s final concert.
On the festival’s closing day, Sunday, 5th July, we will experience the final concert of the Composing Time and Space masterclass. The concert showcases creative works developed over the course of the week in collaboration with composer Thanasis Deligiannis. 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.
Musiikin aika festival – at Viitasaari 30.6.-5.7.2026!