The theme and first concerts for this year’s Time of Music is announced!
The theme of this year’s Time of Music festival is “Once upon a time…”. The festival asks how the technologies of different generations have influenced storytelling in music, and how various forms of narration collide in the present moment.
“Today, social media is reshaping the practices and contents of storytelling almost beyond recognition. The storyteller must learn to process the technological shift, understand the different operational categories of artificial intelligence, and the challenges of the echo chambers they generate. Art must bring together the diverging stories of different communities and generations, listen to their distinct ways of storytelling, so that genuine dialogue can emerge as we move from the attention economy to the intention economy and into the age of artificial intelligence.”
– Johan Tallgren, Artistic Director of Time of Music
“Once upon a time…” evokes different memories depending on which generation or community you ask. However, art has the power to present the stories of different generations side by side and help us see beyond our own bubbles. Come and explore at Time of Music how the stories shaped by sheet music, cassette tapes, digital cameras, social media, and artificial intelligence come together.
World Premieres and International Contemporary Music Stars
The first part of the program release is now here, with more to be announced throughout May! This year, the festival’s main venue is the atmospheric wooden church of Viitasaari, where the opening concert will also take place. 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. Lim also visited Viitasaari as a course teacher at the festival in 2023.
The opening concert will 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.
The festival will feature two world premieres. On Friday, 3rd July, Fabrik Quartet and guitarist Petri Kumela will premiere Herbarium by Sebastian Hilli. Commissioned by Kumela, the work draws inspiration from the herbarium of American poet Emily Dickinson, where preserved plants come alive as fragile memories.
In addition, on Saturday, 4th July, southwest by Lauri Supponen will receive its premiere. The piece seeks to deepen the experience of music mapped from this cardinal direction of the world. The composition is a co-commission by Time of Music, the Mixtur Festival in Barcelona, and the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Music. It will be performed by the German-Spanish ensemble Continuum XXI, known for creatively combining historical and contemporary music using Baroque instruments.
The full program will be released in May, and ticket sales will open on Monday, 1st June. Applications are still open for the Summer Academy’s Environmental Dialogue masterclass led by flutist Claire Chase.
Published Concerts 2026
Tue 30th June, Opening Concert: On strings, air and rivers
Viitasaari Church at 19.00 – Fabrik Quartet, Claire Chase
Fri 3rd July, A String Quartet Party
Viitasaari Church at 19.00 – Fabrik Quartet, Petri Kumela
Sat 4th July, Cartography of Avantgarde
Viitasaari Church at 19.00 – Continuum XXI
Musiikin aika -festivaali järjestetään jälleen 30.6.–5.7. ja kokoaa uuden musiikin ystävät Suomesta ja maailmalta nauttimaan luovista äänimaisemista keskellä Suomen suvea.