It all began with a letter from a 21-year-old Finnish cellist in 1970, who dreamed of the best music in the world being played in beautiful places far away from large and noisy cities. The young musician asked several small towns in Finland whether they would be interested in organising a festival. He guaranteed that the best music would be played by the best artists. There was only one response, and it came from Kuhmo, from a music association that had been founded a few years earlier and was already organising concerts. The first musicians arrived a few weeks later.
Sari Rusanen, Managing Director of the festival, enthusiastically recounts the festival's success story. It started with 13 musicians and nine concerts. ‘In the very first concert, eight people sat in the church.’ But Kuhmo has not been discouraged. The 55th Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival starts in a few weeks. ‘Today we have 100 concerts, 100 international artists, 100 music students taking masterclasses and around 8,000 guests who stay for an average of six days,’ summarises Sari.
This festival has changed the small town in the centre of Finland on the Russian border, surrounded by endless lakes and forests. ‘We have a music school, a concert hall, a concert pavilion, a cultural centre based around the Finnish national epic Kalevala and now several festivals,’ says Sari. "But there is much more. Many artists live in Kuhmo, many have discovered culture as a hobby, there are restaurants and cafés." The Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival has transformed Kuhmo into a city of culture."
This year, the motto of the major events is ‘Nordic Utopia’. The focus is on the Nordic lifestyle, mentalities and cultural idiosyncrasies. But it is also about cultural bridges between Northern and Central Europe and the world. A concert entitled ‘All Roads Lead to Leipzig’ will focus on the exchange between Scandinavian composers and the musical centre of Leipzig in the 19th century. ‘With numerous world premieres and compositions for this festival, Kuhmo will also provide important impulses for the music world.’
Sari comes from the city and has been working in the festival office with passion and enthusiasm since 1990. We have seven permanent employees, and during the festival we have a team of 250 people. There are also many volunteers from the town itself. ‘This is important so that the guests feel comfortable and realise that it's our festival.’ As there aren't that many hotels and accommodation options for musicians and guests in Kuhmo, many people also make their privat homes available during this time."
The festival also always tries to establish a relationship with nature. ‘We live here in one of the most beautiful regions in Finland and that's why nature is part of the festival,’ says Sari. "And we advise our guests: 'Enjoy the music and the nature. It's a wonderful symbiosis."
Those who don't have time for excursions into nature can at least experience some of it in the concert hall at the Kuhmo Arts Centre. Anu Varis, Managing Director of the building, proudly shows off the 668-seat hall, which is completely panelled in wood. The reddish-warm wood comes from the surrounding coniferous forests. The wave-like structure of the panelling is not only visually pleasing, but also contributes significantly to the acoustics. ‘We can change the curves so that the sound matches the respective use,’ explains Anu Varis. But that's not all: even the starry sky can be studied on the ceiling during a concert. And then Anu Varis points out that the German ski jumper Jens Weißflog was so enthusiastic about the concert hall that he wanted to support the venue by sponsoring a seat with his name on it.
And something else that is perhaps unique: there are around 100 bicycles in front of the festival office. All of them have the names of composers. ‘They are for our musicians so that they can be flexible on site,’ explains Sari. ‘They are very busy here, as they not only give concerts and rehearse, but also teach.’ When people are travelling around Kuhmo on bicycles with musical instruments on their backs, it's festival time.
Photos:
1 Kuhmo cellists, photo by Stefan Bremer
2 Sari Rusanen, photo by Stefan Bremer
3 Artistic Directors Antti Tikkanen and Minna Pensola, photo by Stefan Bremer
4 Konzertsaal, Kuhmo Arts Centre, photo by Stefan Bremer
5 Kuhmo cellists, photo by Stefan Bremer
6 Sari Rusanen and Anu Varis, photo by Beatrix Flatt
