At the Turku Music Festival in August 2026, audiences will experience an exceptional lied recital as the internationally acclaimed bass Mika Kares returns to Finnish stages together with his long-time collaborator, Doctor of Music Kirill Kozlovski. The concert In the Dark Stream, performed in the atmospheric setting of Betel Church, brings together key works of Finnish vocal music with a deeply personal interpretation shaped over many years.
The Turku Music Festival is Finland’s oldest continuously running music festival. It has evolved into a diverse urban event with a wide range of excellent music.
The Turku Music Festival was founded by the Musical Society in Turku in 1960. It has evolved into a diverse urban event with a wide range of excellent music including grand orchestral concerts, chamber music, recitals, jazz, outdoor events and children’s concerts. The guest roster includes Finnish and foreign stars each year. The current Artistic Director is Lauri Porra. His predecessors include Klaus Mäkelä, Ville Matvejeff, Topi Lehtipuu, Olli Mustonen and Martti Rousi.
Artist presentation
CLAIRE CHASE
Claire Chase, described by The New York Times recently as “the North Star of her instrument’s ever-expanding universe,” is a musician, interdisciplinary artist, curator, and teacher. Passionately dedicated to the creation of new ecosystems for the music of our time, Chase has given the world premieres of hundreds of new works by a new generation of artists. She was the first flutist to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2012, and in 2017 was the first flutist to be awarded the Avery Fisher Prize for Classical Music from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Chase served as the Richard and Barbara Debs Creative Chair at Carnegie Hall in the 2022-23 season and as the Music Director for the 2025 Ojai Music Festival.
Artist presentation
JUKKA-PEKKA SARASTE
Jukka-Pekka Saraste has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation, demonstrating remarkable musical depth and integrity. Born in Heinola, Finland, he began his career as a violinist before training as a conductor with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. An artist of exceptional versatility and breadth and renowned for his objective approach, he feels a special affinity with the sound and style of late Romantic music. He maintains a particularly strong connection to the works of Beethoven, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Sibelius and is internationally celebrated for his interpretations of Mahler.
Artist presentation
AILI JÄRVELÄ
Aili Järvelä, one of Finland’s most interesting musicians, has amazed audiences and critics alike with her wide-ranging talent. She is known not only for her strong background in folk music, but above all as a skilled singer-songwriter, composer, and soulful performer.
