INFO IN ENGLISH

WELCOME TO THE KAUSTINEN CHAMBER MUSIC WEEK!

Composer Pehr Henrik Nordgren’s (1944-2008) vision of a series of concerts in a small village in Central Ostrobothnia in the darkest mid-winter has carried on from the late 1970s to the present day.

The programme of the concerts ranges from early Baroque to contemporary music and folk music to children’s concerts. Over the years, many composers of our time have visited the Chamber Music Week, and the number of premieres has been remarkable: over 90 compositions have been premiered at Kaustinen.

From the beginning, cooperation with Kaustinen College of Music and local musicians has been an invaluable part of the Chamber Music Week. The week is also a significant event in a national scale. The Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE regularly records concerts during the week, and the top names in chamber music have always enjoyed performing at the Kaustinen Chamber Music Week

Thanks largely to Nordgren’s perseverance, Chamber Music Week also received a well-deserved setting, the Folk Art Centre’s 320-seat Kaustinen Hall, which is perfect for classical music concerts. Another central venue is the Kaustinen Church, completed in 1777, and the Central Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, with its excellent acoustics, is pleased to be featured here. Visual arts and related exhibitions have been part of the weekly program from the very beginning. The Kallio Hall in the Folk Arts Centre provides a great setting for the interaction between music and visual arts.

After the evening concerts, Restaurant Pelimanni provides a casual and comfortable setting for jam sessions toward the end of the week. Here you can see artist guests joining in to a jam session, or just enjoying the folk music and cosy atmosphere.

The Chamber Music Week is organized by the Kaustinen Chamber Music Association.

The programme for 22.-31.1.2027 will be updated here in October 2026.

Options for accommodation include

Hotel Kaustinen

Hotel accommodation in the centre of Kaustinen, on the banks of the river. The hotel offers various healing therapies including massages and spas, among others. A rare opportunity to leave the festival in a better condition than when you arrived!

Motel Marjaana

An affordable option that ensures good sleep and good pizza.

Getting here

Daily coach services run to Kaustinen from Kokkola, Jyväskylä, and Helsinki. Kaustinen’s nearest railway station is Kokkola, which is on the Helsinki-Tampere-Oulu-Rovaniemi mainline, with frequent rail services every day of the week. Kokkola-Pietarsaari (Kruunupyy) airport is also only a short taxi ride away from Kaustinen.

Travel options:

• Kokkolan Rautatieasema – 45km from Kaustinen
• Matkahuolto – Teboil Kaustinen
• Onnibus – Neste Kaustinen
• Kokkola-Pietarsaari (Kruunupyy) airport – 42km from Kaustinen
• Kaustisen taksit

Concert venues

All concert venues are situated in the central area of Kaustinen.

Folk Arts Centre Kaustinen Hall (Jyväskyläntie 3)

Perhaps rivalled only by Tolkien’s Dwarven tunnels from the Lord of the Rings series, Kaustinen Hall’s 320 seat auditorium is carved deep within Kaustinen’s prehistoric rock. Rarely is there so much fun to be had inside a rock, but rest assured that this venue guarantees a unique and awe-inspiring acoustic experience that has to be heard to be believed. The combination of stone and wood makes for the perfect concert hall, best suited to chamber music. In the foyer you can find Cafe Fiuli, as well as a magnificently resonant space perfect for celebration and evening functions.

The Folk Arts Centre is easily accessible from the centre of town by foot. A pedestrian underpass runs underneath State Route 13, between the famous festival arena and the music highschool. (There is no need to walk along the highway, as some mobile map programs will direct you.)

Kaustinen Church (Siltatie 3)

The Kaustinen Church is a traditional Kuorikosi-built cruciform church with magnificent acoustics and surprisingly comfortable pews, which have captivated audiences with countless unforgettable concert experiences. Kaustinen Church is also often used as a recording space.

Pelimannitalo (Konstantie 8)

Pelimannitalo is an old Ostrobothnian house, whose solid wooden beams would leave any American running back to their Redwood forests with their tails between their legs. The glow of the fireplace has been the backdrop to years of performances of all different genres, with decades of tradition still resonating from the rafters.

Restaurant Pelimanni (Kaustintie 2)

Famed for its good vibes and delicious lunches, Restaurant Pelimanni is a legendary food venue and the number one hangout for festival goers.

Become a member

You can support the future of Kaustinen Chamber Music Society by becoming a member!

The yearly fee for membership is 20€.

Membership gives you access to our members newsletter, where you can find information about our upcoming events and concerts.

The society’s members register is handled through the Finnish service Membook.fi. Become a member through this link. After joining as a member, you will receive an invoice to your email with details on how to pay the membership fee. Every year, an invoice is sent automatically to members.

A very warm welcome to the society!

Media

A very warm welcome to all media representatives.

From this page you can freely download the weekly bulletins. Photographs taken during the Chamber Music Week are free for use. Official photographs are taken of every concert and they are available for download from the link below. Should you make use of a photograph, please credit the photographer (if listed) or the Kaustinen Chamber Music Week. Interviews with the artists can be arranged by getting in touch with our chair.

Link to the photographs ->>>

Chair: Maria Pulakka
e-mail: maria.pulakka(at)gmail.com
tel. 050 549 8865