FISKARS SUMMER FESTIVAL

The Festival offers chamber music in different informal venues in Fiskars, including art galleries, restaurants and formerly industrial spaces. Seminars, workshops and discussions about cultural leadership, conducting and the music industry are held - many of these open to the public.

LEAD! Is also proud to present concerts on the highest level with Fiskars Festival Orchestra, featuring world-renowned international soloists and leading guest conductors. On previous years our visiting artists have included violinists Pekka Kuusisto and Johan Dalene, conductors Dalia Stasevska and Hannu Lintu, soprano Camilla Nylund and many more.

Fiskars Summer Festival presents internationally-renowned artists from Finland and abroad. It runs an annual conductors’ masterclass, mentorship and workshops for aspiring orchestra leaders. It also offers a mentorship scheme for young composers.

The festival was inspired by  LEAD’s desire to create a mentorship programme and a supportive community aimed at young artists in the early phases of their career – a hub for Finnish and international participants to meet, network, find support, practice and learn in the diverse and creative environment of Fiskars Village.

Led by conductor and LEAD! founder Jukka-Pekka Saraste, the Fiskars Summer Festival is an international platform for both Finnish and international artists to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation.

FISKARS SUMMER FESTIVAL 2027

Fiskars, Finland 22.7.-31.7.2027

The 8th instalment of Fiskars Summer Festival is right around the corner! We can’t wait to share what we have planned for the 2027 festival!

For all you eager instrumentalists and conductors out there: the applications for the next editions of the Young Instrumentalists programme and Conductor’s Masterclass will open in mid-December of 2026, and continue all the way until the end of January 2027. We will keep you posted about the application period in our social media channels and website, so stay tuned!

The programme of the 2027 Fiskars Summer Festival will be released in December 2026. We look forward to welcoming you back to Fiskars for another summer filled with music and unforgettable moments! In the meantime, keep an eye on our channels for more updates. We can’t wait to keep you posted on the journey towards the 2027 festival!

2026 MENTORS

  • Jukka-Pekka Saraste

    Conductor

  • Vasily Petrenko

    Conductor

  • Dima Slobodeniouk

    Conductor

  • Niamh McKenna

    Flute

  • Cristian Moré Coloma

    Oboe

  • Christoffer Sundqvist

    Clarinet

  • Mikko-Pekka Svala

    Bassoon

  • Sophie Heinrich

    Violin

  • Tero Latvala

    Violin

  • Alexander Gordon

    Viola

  • Tuomas Lehto

    Cello

  • Maria Krykov

    Double Bass

  • Ville Väätäinen

    Double Bass

  • Sarah Osa

    Industry mentor

  • Paul Hughes

    Industry mentor

LEAD! FOUNDATION CONDUCTORS’ MASTERCLASS

“I think the most important thing that our programme offers to young musicians is the chance to meet and network with different role models. It’s our highest priority to create an environment where the musicians feel safe to meet their role models, talk with them, ask for advice and, in the best case scenario, feel comfortable to contact LEAD! and our mentors again in the future.”

JUKKA-PEKKA SARASTE
Conductor & LEAD! Co-founder

The Masterclass is aimed at young conductors in the early stages of their career, who are able to display personality, technical ability and excellence in performance. It includes:

  • Active work with orchestra, where work is analysed, critiqued and discussed by Jukka-Pekka Saraste and guest mentors

  • Group workshops and seminars on topics from the music industry 

  • Individual mentoring and advice on the classical music business

  • The opportunity to conduct the Fiskars Festival Orchestra in public concerts in and around Fiskars

  • Unique networking opportunities with leading conductors and figures from the music industry

FISKARS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

The newly-founded Fiskars Festival Orchestra was established in 2022, and is made up of leading international musicians as well as hand-picked young talent, from Finland and abroad. The orchestra was created especially for the Fiskars Summer Festival and has its homebase in Fiskars. Its Artistic Director is Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and it has been led by internationally-renowned conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Hannu Lintu, James Gaffigan and Dalia Stasevska and young talents from the conductors' masterclass.

The Fiskars Festival Orchestra is generously supported by the Fiskars Group

PROGRAMME 2026
PROGRAMME 2025
PROGRAMME 2024

To find out more about our programmes, please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for more information, or contact us at info@leadfoundationfinland.com

FISKARS EASTER SESSIONS 2026

FISKARS SUMMER FESTIVAL is a festival unlike any other. The festival has grown into Fiskars Village, home to a creative community with centuries of history always looking ahead. 

At FISKARS SUMMER FESTIVAL, we experience a unique intersection of time and place. The festival creates a shared space that connects younger talent to the original source – a source of inspiration, artistic authenticity, tradition and integrity, and pioneering design that makes the everyday extraordinary.  

Fiskars Group is proud to partner with the LEAD! Foundation and the Fiskars Village community in making this extraordinary experience a reality.