In many towns, the cultural life is quiet and bare in the very beginning of the year, but in Kuhmo we celebrate the darkest winter with colorful cultural events already for the tenth time in the Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter festival from January 1 to 7, 2018.
The program stretches from visual arts to music and dance, and the style varies from folklore to classical and modern art. Once again, the active Kuhmo organizers and artists have joined forces to build up an interesting cultural celebration.
Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter opens with a New Year’s Day concert on January 1 at 6 pm. Sinfonietta Lentua Orchestra, conducted by Jukka-Pekka Kuusela, and clarinettist Lauri Sallinen (www.laurisallinen.com) bring us the joy of New Year in the beautiful Lentua Hall of the Kuhmo Arts Centre.
On Tuesday, wild- and nature photographer Hannu Huttu (www.hannuhuttu.com) gives two photo-presentations at the Petola Visitor Centre by title Lots of Moose and other animals of the forests. The nature photographer’s nights begin at 3 pm and 6 pm.
On Wednesday’s Night of Dance, choreograph Jarkko Mandelin and his exclusive dance group Kinetic Orchestra visit Kuhmo Arts Centre with an impressive performance Animals (www.kineticorchestra.fi). The second part of the evening consists of a performance of young dancers’ group MyDance, choreographed by Maija Palsio.
On Friday, Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter with two events. At 5.30 pm Juminkeko features the opening of Aune Riihonen’s exhibition Sparkling Magic of Sampo, a retrospective exhibition of silk paintings, appliques and sculptures based on the Kalevala and folklore. The art exhibition is open until March 23, 2018. At 7 pm we will get a breeze of summer, when Vladimir Medelssohn, the artistic director of the Kuhmo Chamber Music, is performing with Borea Quartet in the Kuhmo Chamber Music winter concert (www.kuhmofestival.fi).
Saturday is dedicated to another summer festival, the Ethno Music Festival Sommelo (www.sommelo.net). A Kainuu folklore group with soloists plays traditional dance music with fades of folk music at the Satuday Nigth Dance at the Kuhmo Arts Centre.
Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter is completed on Sunday at 5 pm at the Kuhmo Arts Centre in a Light music concert, performed by Kuhmo Big Band and Kuhmo Strings with the soloist Ilkka Alanko. The orchestras are conducted by Petri Juutilainen.
The Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter is organized by Juminkeko, Kuhmo Arts Centre, Ethno Music Festival Sommelo, Kuhmo Chamber Music, the City of Kuhmo, and the Kuhmo Visitor Centre Petola.
The tickets are already available at the Kuhmo Arts Centre and on site www.lipputoimisto.fi. Further information on the events are available on site www.kuhmowinter.fi and at the Kuhmo Arts Centre, tel. +358 8 6155 5451.