The festival weeks of the Turku Music Festival from 8 to 31 August 2024 offer a wealth of interesting, international concerts at various venues around the city. The home concert series has been a staple of the festival programme for many years. One of this year’s home concerts is at the Turku City Theatre, hosted by its Artistic Director Mikko Kouki.
The Turku Music Festival is known for its diverse, international and unexpected programming. This year is no exception as the festival proper rolls around on 8–31 August. Events and concerts are presented at venues as diverse as Logomo, Turku Castle, the St Henry Ecumenical Arts Chapel, Turku Concert Hall, Sigyn Hall and the Paimio Sanatorium. The popular home concert series continues with a concert hosted at the Turku City Theatre by Artistic Director Mikko Kouki on Monday 19 August 2024.
Mikko Kouki has invited his old friend and actor colleague Samuli Edelmann to appear at the concert with pianist Matti Paatelma. Samuli Edelmann is an outlier whose diverse repertoire spans across genres from art music to pop, and he has remained a favourite with Finns in all of them throughout his extensive career. Matti Paatelma is known as a pianist, keyboard player, composer, arranger, producer, educator and music copyist.
They are joined on stage by violinist Katariina Sallinen, violinist Marja Sihvo, cellist Matti Moilanen, pianist Ville Vihko and singer Oskari Salovaara. The programme features pieces by Ólafur Arnalds, Ryūichi Sakamoto, Procol Harum, Sting and Toni Edelmann. Between songs, Mikko Kouki talks about his music selections.
Apart from the Turku City Theatre, home concerts are scheduled at the Paavo Nurmi Home Museum, the Heideken Family Home, the Archbishop’s residence, the villas of Ruissalo, the home of Lauri Kattelus in Laitila and the home of the Langh family at Alaskartano.