The Kymi Sinfonietta is a sinfonietta-sized orchestra based in two

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

cities,

Kotka Kotka (; ; la, Aquilopolis) is a city in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province on the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city and also a diverse school and cultural city, which was formerly part of the old Kymi parish ...

and

Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is ...

. The Kymi Sinfonietta was formed in 1999 after merging the

and

City Orchestras and it is currently an ensemble of 31 regular players. Kymi Sinfonietta’s public performances range from about 100 to nearly 200 performances per year. Concerts by the Kymi Sinfonietta are held at Kotka Concert Hall on Wednesdays and Kouvola City Hall or Kuusankoski Hall on Thursdays. The Kymi Sinfonietta has a very broad repertoire ranging from small chamber works to large symphonies and also lighter programs. The orchestra also organizes various musical and cultural events, such as performances in schools, kindergartens and retirement homes and premiers the finals works in the International Uuno Klami Composition Competition which is held every five years. The Kymi Sinfonietta has been performing internationally in St Petersbourg in 2003, 2012 and 2013, Heerlen, Netherlands in 2007, China in 2008, London in 2010 and Riga, Latvia in 2011. The Kymi Sinfonietta’s first Artistic Director was Juha Nikkola (1999–2003). In the years 2004 to 2006 Dmitri Slobodeniouk held the position of the Principal Guest Conductor. The Japanese conductor Yasuo Shinozaki was Artistic Director from the beginning of 2007 to the summer of 2014. The Estonian conductor

Olari Elts Olari Elts (born April 27, 1971 in Tallinn) is an Estonian conductor. He was the principal conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2006. He is the founder and director of the contemporary music ensemble NYYD Ensemble. ...

was hired as Artistic Director on 1 January 2018. The tenor and conductor

Topi Lehtipuu Topi Lehtipuu (born 24 March 1971 in Brisbane, Australia) is a Finnish operatic tenor. He has sung a variety of roles from different periods, including the title role in Benjamin Britten's ''Albert Herring'' at the Finnish National Opera, several ...

and the jazz saxophonist

Jukka Perko Jukka Perko (born 18 February 1968 in Huittinen, Finland) is a Finnish saxophonist. Biography Perko first became known in Finland by playing at the 1986 Pori Jazz Festival. His international career started when he played in the big band of Dizz ...

were appointed Artistic Partners for the 2023–2024 season."Artistic Partners"
Kymi Sinfonietta home page. Retrieved 27 August 2023. The Kymi Sinfonietta performs regularly with Finnish and international artists such as

Natalia Gutman Natalia Grigoryevna Gutman (russian: Наталья Григорьевна Гутман) (born 14 November 1942 in Kazan), PAU, is a Russian cellist. She began to study cello at the Moscow Music School with R. Sapozhnikov. She was later admitted t ...

, Michael Collins,

Patrick Gallois Patrick Gallois (born 1956) is a French flutist and conductor. Gallois was born in Linselles near the town of Lille in the north of France. At the age of 17 he began studies at the Conservatoire de Paris with the celebrated flutist Jean-Pierre Ra ...

Monica Groop Gerd Monica Groop née Riska (born 14 April 1958 in Helsinki) is a Finnish operatic mezzo-soprano. After graduating from the Sibelius Academy, she joined the Finnish National Opera in 1986 where she remains a member. She has sung leading roles a ...

Elina Vähälä Elina Vähälä (born 15 October 1975, Iowa City, Iowa) is a Finnish classical violinist. Biography Born in the United States in Iowa City, Iowa, Vähälä began violin studies at the age of three, following her family's return to Finland, at th ...

, Kyoko Takezawa,

Anthony Marwood Anthony Marwood is a British solo violinist. Early life He was born 6 July 1965 to Michael Travers Marwood and Anne née Chevallier. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford. He then studied at the Royal Academy of Music and t ...

Pekka Kuusisto Pekka Kuusisto (born 7 October 1976 in Espoo) is a Finnish musician. Biography Kuusisto comes from a musical lineage. His grandfather was a composer and organist, his father is a jazz musician who has composed operas, and his mother is a music t ...

, Kari Kriikku,

Olli Mustonen Olli Mustonen (born 7 June 1967 in Vantaa, Finland) is a Finnish pianist, conductor, and composer. Biography Mustonen studied harpsichord and piano from the age of five with Ralf Gothóni and then Eero Heinonen. He studied composition with Ei ...

, and Alexei Lubimov and guest conductors such as

Andres Mustonen Andres Mustonen (born 1 September 1953) is an Estonian conductor and violinist. Biography Mustonen was born in Tallinn on 1 September 1953. He graduated from the Tallinn Music High School in 1972 and five years later both he and Endel Lippus gra ...

, Andrew Lawrence-King,

Nikolay Alexeyev Nikolay Alexandrovich Alexeyev (also spelled as Alekseyev, Alekseev, or Alexeev (russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Алексе́ев) born on 23 December 1977) is a Russian LGBT rights activist, lawyer and journalist. O ...

Hannu Lintu Hannu Petteri Lintu (born 13 October 1967) is a Finnish conductor. Biography Lintu was born in Rauma. He studied piano and cello at the Turku Conservatory and at the Sibelius Academy. He also studied conducting with Atso Almila, and later with ...

, Dmitri Slobodeniouk and

Alexander Mickelthwate Alexander Mickelthwate (born 2 June 1970 in Frankfurt, West Germany) is a German-born conductor who is the current music director and principal conductor of Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Early life and education He is one of three sons in his fam ...

. It has also collaborated with many orchestras and choirs, among them the Orchestras of St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the State Choir Latvija and the Saint Petersburg State Academic Choir.

Recordings

* ''Klami Rhapsodie'' (2002) * ''Täyttyneiden toiveiden maa'' (2004) * ''KymiScenes'' (2007)

Recordings

References

See also