Festive Finale concert on November 20th crowns Kuopio’s 250th anniversary festivities
Published 14.11.2025
The KSO and percussion artist Mika Kallio will premiere Antti Auvinen’s concerto
Kuopio’s 250th anniversary celebrations culminate in the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra’s season concert Festive Finale on Thursday, November 20th at 7 pm at the Kuopio Music Centre Concert Hall. Hosted by Virpi Rautsiala, the concert opens with Atso Almila’s Kuopio250 overture and fanfare, followed by three songs from the City Theatre’s anniversary musical The Perfect Recipe. The highlight of the evening is a commissioned work: a concerto composed by Antti Auvinen for percussion artist Mika Kallio, who will perform as the soloist in its world premiere. The concert concludes with Jean Sibelius’s beloved Symphony No. 2, conducted by Jukka Untamala.
The Festive Finale concert on November 20th showcases Northern Savonian talent in abundance. The program begins with Almila’s overture, commissioned as a theme piece for the anniversary year. “This work first floats on a Sunday morning on Lake Kallavesi, with birdsong and church bells in the background – but then the pace picks up dramatically as the day gets underway. The ending can even serve as a standalone fanfare if needed. I thank the estate of Anssi Tikanmäki and Tatu Kemppainen for melodic quotes from Savolainen metsä and Orpojen joulu,” Almila explains.
From the City Theatre’s anniversary musical The Perfect Recipe, three songs arranged for a symphony orchestra will be performed. “The musical tells a non-documentary story about kalakukko baker icon Hanna Partanen and a modern industrial bakery Sun Bakery. Kaikki päätyy paikoilleen (Everything Falls Into Place) is Aaku’s comforting song to his wife Hanna, who seeks stability amid heavy losses and an uncertain future. Anna and Hanna recalls childhood games and the fate of evacuees, sung while baking. Hannan rukous (Hanna’s Prayer) is a plea born from a mind troubled by war and a rebuilding identity,” says Mika Paasivaara, the musical’s composer. The songs will be performed by City Theatre actors Akseli Ferrand, Lina Patrikainen and Katri-Maria Peltola.
Kuopio-born composer Antti Auvinen has written the anniversary commission Enter Gong – Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra for Kuopio-born percussion artist Mika Kallio and the KSO. Auvinen is known for expanding the traditional orchestral sound. “As a composer, I’m fascinated by Mika Kallio’s wide arsenal of gongs, his unique palette of timbres, and rhythmic mastery. I visited his studio last spring, and together we selected 25 gongs, seven other resonant metallic bells or plates, and of course a drum set, often prepared for special effects. The concerto is a multi-layered work in terms of rhythm and color, where both the soloist and ultimately the orchestra are virtuosos,” Auvinen explains.
Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 will serve as the evening’s anchor piece, conducted by Kuopio-based maestro Jukka Untamala. The concert will be hosted by actor, hybrid artist, and art expert Virpi Rautsiala.
The Festive Finale concert will be livestreamed on the KSO’s YouTube channel, where the recording will remain available for two weeks afterward.
On the same day, November 20th at 12 pm, you can enjoy the orchestra’s open rehearsal, featuring musical highlights from the evening’s program under Jukka Untamala’s baton. The rehearsal will also be hosted by Virpi Rautsiala. 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: 33 € / 27 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 11 € children under the age of 16 and students / 4 € concert day discount ticket for students and young people under the age of 20 (available for purchase on the concert day at the Kuopio Music Centre Ticket Office). Prices include the Kuopio Music Centre service fee 2 € / ticket. The service fees vary depending on the place of purchase.
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KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Producer & Publicity Manager Elina Prepula, tel. 044 718 2364, elina.prepula(at)kuopio.fi
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