Laura Mikkola throws herself into the virtuosic piano parts of two concertos on 16th of April

Published 09.04.2026

Music by Martinaitytė, Saint-Saëns, Tabakova and Englund will be heard at the KSO’s concert

The Kuopio Symphony Orchestra’s season concert Mosaic of Shades on Thursday, 16th of April at 6 pm offers a richly hued selection of music from different countries. Appearing as soloist on the stage of the Kuopio Music Centre Concert Hall is the internationally acclaimed pianist Laura Mikkola, who will perform no fewer than two piano concertos: Lithuanian composer Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s Chiaroscuro Trilogy and Camille Saint-Saëns’s fantasy Africa. Under the baton of conductor Anna-Maria Helsing, the programme also includes Tectonic by Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova and the melancholy Symphony No. 4 by Einar Englund.

The concert opens with Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s Chiaroscuro Trilogy, a concerto triptych for piano and string orchestra. For the evening’s soloist Laura Mikkola, “Chiaroscuro Trilogy is a truly impressive work – virtuosic and energetic.” In the piece, Martinaitytė explores the relationship between light and darkness – the same chiaroscuro phenomenon that has fascinated visual artists for centuries. Camille Saint-Saëns’s Africa was inspired by the winters the composer spent in North Africa. Saint-Saëns travelled regularly to Algeria and Egypt, and the work reflects his fascination with the region’s musical influences, rhythms and melodies. The fantasy is a combination of French virtuosity and exotic colours gathered by the composer during his travels.

The concert’s soloist Laura Mikkola is one of Finland’s most internationally successful pianists. She rose to the attention of the wider public at a young age after winning several competitions, including the Maurice Ravel, Maj Lind and UNISA Transnet competitions. Mikkola has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Belgium and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Her repertoire includes an exceptionally wide range of piano concertos, and she is particularly renowned for her profound interpretations of the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara.

After the interval, Dobrinka Tabakova’s Tectonic will be performed. The work is part of the Earth Suite, a larger entity created by the composer to explore the Earth’s natural processes and their constant movement. The suite originated from Tabakova’s interest in geology and the immense forces that shape the planet over millennia. Tectonic musically depicts tensions within the Earth’s crust, strata and releases of energy. The evening concludes with Einar Englund’s Symphony No. 4, one of the most personal works of the composer’s late period. Dedicated to the memory of a great artist, the symphony reveals influences from Shostakovich. Its sombre character also evokes the transience of existence.

The concert is conducted by Anna-Maria Helsing, who has established herself as one of the most sought-after conductors in the Nordic countries, particularly as an interpreter of modern and contemporary music. She began her tenure as Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2023, having served as the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor since 2020, and in 2025 she took up the position of Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra. Helsing has conducted nearly all major Nordic orchestras as well as several key European ensembles.

Before the concert, at 5 pm at the Hall of Light, the autumn 2026 programme of the KSO will be published. After that, at 5:30 pm, there will be a Pre-Talk open to all, with the artists of the evening.

On the same day, April 16th at 12 pm, you can enjoy the orchestra’s open rehearsal, featuring musical highlights from the evening’s program under Anna-Maria Helsing’s baton. Admission to the open rehearsal is free. In addition, Kuopio Music Centre’s Restaurant Oodi offers lunch at the Hall of Light between 11 am – 2 pm for €12.

Tickets: 34,60 € / 28,10 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 10,60 € children under the age of 16 and students.

The Copilot AI service was used in the production of this text.

KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Producer & Publicity Manager Elina Prepula, tel. 044 718 2364, elina.prepula(at)kuopio.fi
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