A total of 95 students are participating in the Kuhmo Chamber Music masterclasses this week and next. The courses began on 10 July and will continue until 24 July. According to the festival’s Artistic Directors, Minna Pensola and Antti Tikkanen, the standard of the selected participants is exceptionally high. Most of the students are pursuing professional music studies. The teachers are primarily artists performing at the festival.

The Kuhmo courses offer both individual instruction and chamber music coaching. In addition to their personal lessons, students can participate in chamber music workshops, improvisation workshops, and, as a new educational format this year, a Sonata Lab. Of the festival’s 96 artists, 47 are involved in teaching on the courses. The improvisation workshop is led by accordionist Niko Kumpuvaara, while the Sonata Lab is directed by pianist Sophia Rahman. As is traditional, the programme also includes lectures on musical instruments, given by piano tuner Matti Kyllönen and string instrument makers Elina Kaljunen and Armin Seebass.

In summer 2026, the courses launched a new intensive programme called Kamarista. Each year, the Artistic Directors select two or three outstanding ensembles to participate. These groups receive coaching and also perform as part of the festival’s artist roster. This year’s participants are the Modulor Quartet and the Karelia String Quartet.

A total of 95 students are enrolled in the courses. Of these, 69 come from different parts of Finland and 26 from abroad. The international participants come from Switzerland, England, Sweden, Hong Kong, the United States, Estonia, Norway, South Korea, and Japan. The largest number of applications was received from string players, which is reflected in the student body: there are 47 violinists, 11 violists, and 16 cellists. The courses also include 12 pianists. In other instruments, including flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and French horn, there are between one and three students each.

The large number of applicants is, of course, due in no small part to the outstanding faculty. This year, students have been particularly attracted by violinists Mi-kyung Lee, Johannes Meissl, and Levon Chilingirian. Mi-kyung Lee has served as a visiting professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, Professor at the Sibelius Academy, and Professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Johannes Meissl is the Artistic Director of both the International Summer Academy of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy). Levon Chilingirian is Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Student Concert Schedule:

  • 15 July, 12:30 pm, Tuupala Primary School
  • 16 July, 12:30 pm, Tuupala Primary School
  • 17 July, 11:00 am, Pajakka Hall, Kuhmo Arts Centre
  • 22 July, 12:30 pm, Tuupala Primary School
  • 23 July, 12:30 pm, Tuupala Primary School
  • 24 July, 11:00 am, Pajakka Hall, Kuhmo Arts Centre

In addition, students participating in the workshop programme will perform in festival concerts at Tuupala Primary School on 17 July at 1:00 pm and 24 July at 1:00 pm.

At the conclusion of the courses, scholarships with a total value of €1,500 from the Oleg Kagan Memorial Fund will be awarded to an exceptionally talented and distinguished instrumentalist or ensemble. The recipient will be announced during the closing concert on 24 July at 11:00 am and on the music courses’ website.

The Kuhmo music courses receive financial support from the Arts and Culture Agency and the City of Kuhmo. The Kamarista programme has received funding from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Further information:

Elina Kettunen, Course Coordinator, Kuhmo Music Courses
Tel. +358 44 586 1640