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 2026
Fiskars, Finland 24.7.-2.8.2026
This summer marks the seventh installment of the Fiskars Summer Festival, welcoming audiences back to the unique setting of historic Fiskars village. Centered around an intensive masterclass for emerging conductors and a mentorship programme for young instrumentalists, our festival offers a wide selection of orchestral and chamber music concerts, performed by our talented students alongside their world-class mentors and a distinguished lineup of soloists.
Our Open House concert this year is the Young conductors’ concert on Friday, July 31st, where the conducting students of the annual masterclass will lead the acclaimed Fiskars Festival Orchestra in a programme of Mozart, Sibelius, Britten and Beethoven. The two soloists of the concert are rising Finnish star violinist Otto Antikainen, and one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, Karen Cargill.
The final concert of the festival on Saturday, August 1st will be held once again at the Threshing House of Fiskars. On the podium will be Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducting a programme of Beethoven, Tarkiainen, Wagner and Dvořák, with Karen Cargill performing as the soloist in Wagner’s famous Wesendock Lieder (1857–58).
FISKARS SUMMER FESTIVAL 2026 PROGRAMME
Kuparipaja 28.7.2026, Opening Concert & Dinner
It’s Almost All about Tchaikovsky and those Italian holidays…
Rossini: String Sonata No. 1 (12’)
Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovky, op. 35a (12’)
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence (35’)
Lukaali 30.7.2026, Chamber music concert
9+10+5 = 3 great chamber works
Mustonen: String Nonet No. 2 (15’)
Bernard: Divertissement (23’)
intermission
Beethoven: String Quintet in C, op. 29 (33’)
KWUM 31.7.2026, Chamber music concert
A French Sandwich with an Austrian Filling
Ibert: Deux Mouvements (7’)
Pépin: Feuilles d’Eau de Silvacane (18’)
Mozart: Oboe Quartet (14’)
Debussy: Trio (19’)
Puimala 31.7.2026, Young Conductors’ showcase / Open House
Sparkling Wit and Dark Spells
Mozart: Figaro Overture (5’)
Sibelius: Six Humoresques with Otto Antikainen (21’)
Britten: A Charm of lullabies with Karen Cargill (13’)
intermission
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 (28’)
Puimala 1.8.2026, Final concert
Beethoven: Egmont Overture (8’)
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder with Karen Cargill (21’)
Tarkiainen: Ring of Fire and Love (10’)
intermission
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7 (35’)
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor
2026 MENTORS
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Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Conductor
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Niamh McKenna
Flute
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Cristian Moré Coloma
Oboe
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Christoffer Sundqvist
Clarinet
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Mikko-Pekka Svala
Bassoon
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Sophie Heinrich
Violin
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Tero Latvala
Violin
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Alexander Gordon
Viola
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Tuomas Lehto
Cello
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Maria Krykov
Double Bass
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Sarah Osa
Industry mentor
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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
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.
