Lapland Chamber Orchestra – The Rovaniemi City Orchestra is the northernmost professional chamber orchestra in both Finland and the EU. Founded in 1972, the orchestra consists of 19 permanent musicians. Its artistic director is conductor John Storgårds, while the principal guest artist is pianist Håvard Gimse.
Based in Rovaniemi at the Korundi House of Culture, the orchestra performs throughout the Lapland region as well as in the North Calotte and other parts of Finland. It has appeared at notable venues, including the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Helsinki Festival, and the Korsholm Music Festival. Internationally, the orchestra has toured Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, Germany, Russia, and Algeria, with recent tours to Hungary and Canada. In 2014, it became the first Finnish chamber orchestra to perform at the legendary BBC Proms in London.
The orchestra’s program at Kuusamotalo includes:
John McCabe: Red Leaves – Finnish Premiere
Paweł Mykietyn: Eine kleine Herbstmusik – Finnish Premiere
Johann Sebastian Bach / Peter Maxwell Davies: Two Preludes and Fugues (BWV 848/849; 1972/74)
Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, arranged for chamber orchestra by Mordechai Rechtman – Finnish Premiere
John Storgårds, conductor
Håvard Gimse, piano
The concert duration is approximately 80 minutes, including an intermission.