European unity and cooperation will be celebrated in Oulu, European Capital of Culture. Oulu Sinfonia – the northernmost full-size professional symphony orchestra in Europe – will host a Europe Day Gala Concert called Love, Life! on May 9, 2026, in collaboration with the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO).
This concert will be a truly exceptional cultural occasion, featuring a combined orchestra of musicians representing 27 different nationalities. The collaboration with EUYO offers a powerful artistic expression of a united Europe in all its rich diversity. The event is arranged in cooperation with the embassies of the European countries accredited to Finland.
The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2026, has provided an exceptional bridge between conservatoires and the professional world for generations of Europe’s finest musicians. The Orchestra has worked with many of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists and performed in most of the world’s major concert halls and festivals. Every year, around 3000 applicants audition for the EUYO. Many of the Orchestra’s alumni have become notable conductors, soloists, teachers, and instrumentalists working with the major orchestras of Europe and throughout the world.
Conducted by Chief Conductor Rumon Gamba, the concert opens with Antonín Dvořák’s Carnival Overture. This overture forms the central part of the composer’s triptych of three overtures, whose themes are nature, life and love. The programme also features Gustav Mahler’s symphonic song cycle Das Lied von der Erde, which Mahler himself described as a symphony. Scored for two vocal soloists and orchestra, the work sets Chinese poems against a vast orchestral canvas. The soloists are mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland and tenor Tuomas Katajala.
Kielland is a highly regarded interpreter of both Baroque and contemporary repertoire. In 2012, she received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Classical Vocal Album. A sought-after concert soloist, she performs regularly across Europe, Japan and the United States, and has also appeared on major opera stages. She serves as a part-time Associate Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Katajala, meanwhile, is among Finland’s most internationally successful tenors. He is a frequent guest at London’s Covent Garden, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Berlin State Opera, Seattle Opera and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He has appeared regularly at the Finnish National Opera since 2006 and is also a familiar soloist at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. In addition, he serves as Artistic Director of the Urkuyö & Aaria Festival in Espoo.
The concert will also feature the world premiere of Whirligig, a new orchestral work by the Finnish-American composer Lara Poe. Co-commissioned by Oulu Sinfonia, the Naantali Music Festival and Sinfonia Lahti, the piece, according to the composer, is built from a multitude of dance-like fragments that shimmer into view in varying forms. Poe is currently preparing her doctoral studies at King’s College London and served as Composer-in-Residence with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra during the 2024/2025 season. Her orchestral work Kaamos was nominated for an Ivors Composer Award in 2021 and was selected to represent Yle at the International Rostrum of Composers in Belgrade the same year.
Text: Oulu SinfoniaPhotos:
Marianne Beate Kielland, c Lic Ovland
Tuomas Katajala, c Heikki Tuuli
Europe Day: Love, Life!
Sat 9 May 2026 at 4 pm
Oulu Music Centre, Madetoja Hall
Rumon Gamba conductor
Marianne Beate Kielland mezzo-soprano
Tuomas Katajala tenor
European Union Youth Orchestra
Oulu Sinfonia
Concert program:
Antonín Dvořák: Carnival Overture, Op. 92
Lara Poe: Whirligig (World Premiere)
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Gustav Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde