At the opening event, Marianne Kauppila will talk about the exhibition. Music will be provided by Oulu-based percussionist Joonatan Lappalainen, who is part of the Artists Arise in the Delta documentary project by Oulu August Festivals.

At the beginning of the festival, we will present a Europallet worth of music from different corners of Europe.

The Visual Artist of the Year 2026 for Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival is mural-specialized visual artist and visual designer Marianne Kauppila, whose works form the basis of the festival’s visual identity. The exhibition Rock’n’roll lovestyle, on view at the Oulunsalo Library, explores Kauppila’s relationship with music and how it has changed throughout her life.

Mozart’s Requiem is a perennial audience favorite. The mass for the dead was left unfinished at Mozart’s death, so we thought that a work originally incomplete could withstand a bit of arrangement. The large-scale production by the Meta4 string quartet and the vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices was originally scheduled to premiere in spring 2020, but it was postponed until summer 2025. The concept has been presented both in Finland and abroad, and now the version is ready for Oulu.

We are delighted to continue our collaboration with the Oulu Conservatory. This year’s lunch concert presents a selection of young talents, and a bold cello ensemble has promised to perform an important anthem for Europe, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The stunning sea view at Theatre Restaurant Aulis crowns the lunch experience.

SupersThe hugely popular theatre group Red Nose Company brings its new production Voces – Inner Voices to Oulu. This staged concert for two clowns and the Meta4 string quartet combines the most beautiful chamber music classics with theatrical storytelling. There will be laughter – but you may want to prepare for tears as well.

This concert outlines the borders of Europe. Where is Iceland? Is Ukraine part of Europe? We will also explore the limits of virtuosity as Antti Tikkanen and Minna Pensola take on Ysaÿe’s sonata for two violins. Bacewicz’s string quartet, meanwhile, pushes entertainment to its extremes.

At the City Hall concert, you can surrender to your emotions. Josef Suk’s rarely performed piano quintet will be interpreted by the passionate pianist Heini Kärkkäinen and the ever high-energy Meta4 string quartet. The concert opens with a performance by Tongbo Qu, a young piano talent from the Oulu Conservatory.

This concert is dedicated to our beloved neighbouring country, Sweden. The performance, featuring Vuokko Hovatta, includes composed poems in both Finnish and Swedish.

At the end of the festival, we return to where it all began: Oulunsalo. In summer 2027, Oulunsalo Soi will celebrate its 30th anniversary, and this summer’s finale marks the starting point for planning the anniversary year. In a relaxed closing event, we will wrap up the week-long presentation of European countries, check that our festival passports have all the necessary stamps, and begin the countdown to next summer accompanied by familiar melodies.