Maiju Kauppinen

5 concert picks for season 2026–2027

For first violinist Maiju Kauppinen, the essence of orchestral work comes from performing large-scale works, but she enjoys exploring new music just as much. Here are Maiju’s five concert picks for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026–2027 season.

The works closest to my heart are the great monumental ones: Wagner, Bruckner and Mahler. Even though I listen to them a lot in my free time, it never feels the same as sitting in the middle of a vast mass of sound, focusing on the music together with the audience. That is the core experience of a symphony orchestra. It’s wonderful that our former chief conductor Susanna Mälkki is returning to lead an orchestral version of Wagner’s Ring cycle. The Ring is an especially important operatic cycle for me. It takes you on an incredible journey that carries through even in the orchestral version. It feels meaningful to be able to perform the piece specifically with Susanna.

Another former chief conductor returning is John Storgårds. His positivity and musicality are always inspiring. If I were to highlight one soloist from the upcoming season, it would be Mackenzie Melemed, who will perform Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto together with Jontte. The work will be heard in Finland for the first time, which is astonishing given that it premiered already in 1900.

It’s great that we don’t always play works by deceased composers, but also include music by Finnish composers who are very much alive and full of energy. This autumn features works by Cecilia Damström, Olli Mustonen and Sebastian Fagerlund. I’m very fond of all of them—they are composers I know well and love. I’m happy about Cecilia Damström’s rising career and how widely her works are performed around the world. We also get to open the season with her composition Information.

During difficult turning points in my life, I’ve listened to Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.

Unknown works can surprise and delight. Contemporary music keeps our focus on the future of the field and of orchestral music. Nearly all the contemporary music we play has been fantastic, as the works are curated so well. I’m looking forward to the Musica nova Helsinki concert in February, conducted by Elena Schwarz. The fun of that week lies precisely in the fact that the orchestra knows nothing about the works in advance—and yet after just a few rehearsals, we bring them to top form.

During difficult turning points in my life, I’ve listened to Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, which is the most important requiem to me. The work is gentle, comforting, clear and luminous. It will be wonderful to perform it in spring 2027, led by the very interesting Italian conductor Nil Venditti.

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra season tickets for autumn 2026 are on sale until August 3. Single tickets for the autumn season go on sale on August 11. Tickets for spring 2027 will be available starting December 2.

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