The outdoor screening is back again
The outdoor screenings of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts on the Music Centre’s media wall have found a special place in the hearts of audiences. Even though rain showers poured down from the sky during the outdoor screening in May, attendees praised the atmosphere of the event and expressed the wish that concerts could be broadcast outdoors more often.
To celebrate the opening of the concert season, the orchestra invites the whole city on Wednesday, 2 September 2026 at 7 pm to watch and listen to a live broadcast from the Concert Hall outside the Music Centre. The concert can be enjoyed from benches provided on site or from your own picnic blanket on the lawns near Kansalaistori Square.
The outdoor screening is free of charge, and the Music Centre café will be open throughout the evening. Visitors may also enjoy their own refreshments on the green terrace facing Mannerheimintie.
The evening’s themes can be explored in greater depth at the Pre-Concert Talk, beginning at 6:15 pm in the Terrace Foyer. Hosted by the orchestra’s General Manager, Jari Eskola, the event offers an introduction to the concert programme and its themes with composer Cecilia Damström and author Jessikka Aro.
An outdoor event of many emotions and ideas
The evening begins with a work by Cecilia Damström inspired by Russian troll factories and disinformation. She composed it by applying Morse code to the musical notation from beginning to end.
The programme continues with Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by Anton Mejias. The young Finnish-Cuban pianist has gained increasing recognition on international stages in recent years.
After the interval, Chief Conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste leads the orchestra in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, a work into which the composer famously declared had put nothing more and nothing less than his whole soul.
The concert can also be viewed live from home as an HKO Screen broadcast on the Helsinki Channel, where it will remain available as a recording after the performance.
Pathétique Concert on Music Centre’s media wall Wed 2/9/26 at 7PM. Read more here.