Scandinavian Culture Calendar: July 2022

Savonlinna Opera Festival
(1 to 31 July)
If you love opera, you only need to get yourself to the eastern-Finnish town of Savonlinna for the entire month of July to get your fill. The setting itself is both unusual and impressive: a medieval castle in the middle of Europe’s largest lake district. The event dates back to 1912, making it one of the oldest of its kind in the world. This year’s programme includes crowd pleasers Aida, Tosca and Carmen (with BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winner Andrei Kymach), plus a number of concerts.

Savonlinna, Finland
www.operafestival.fi

Savonlinna Opera Festival. Photo: Hannu Luostarinen

Oslo Chamber Music Festival
(12 to 21 August)
Let Oslo Chamber Music Festival take you on a gentle journey this late summer. The event – run by a foundation – is renowned for the high quality of its programming. In a concert on 13 August, the focus is on two strong female composers hailing from France, Rita Strohl and Nadia Boulanger. While on 18 August, you will hear tunes from the US – including Bernstein, of course.

Oslo, Norway
www.oslokammermusikkfestival.no

Helsinki Festival
(12 August to 4 September)
Under the umbrella of Helsinki Festival, a culture lover can discover more or less any type of event under the sun. Running since the late ‘60s, the musical range of the 2022 edition extends from Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo, to songs based on children’s science questions. Renowned British choreographer Wayne McGregor’s company will be performing, and there will be a conversation on art and artificial intelligence. Many of the events take place at the Huvila tent near the city centre.

Helsinki, Finland
www.helsinkifestival.fi

See Angélique Kidjo at the Helsinki Festival this summer. Photo: Fabrice Mabillot

Light and Space
(until 4 September)
The Nordic midsummer light is something special – but so too is this awe-inspiring exhibition taking place at Copenhagen Contemporary. Comprising works of light, colour and installation, old and new, this 5,000-square-metre experience is unlikely to leave you cold. You will be able to name check Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell, among others.

Refshalevej 173A, Copenhagen
www.copenhagencontemporary.org

The Light and Space exhibition at Copenhagen Contemporary. Photo: Copenhagen Contemporary

What a joy to be a sculptor!
(until 11 September)
The National Museum in Stockholm is always worth a visit, and even more so now that it has been named Swedish museum of the year. This summer’s sculpture exhibition focuses on forgotten Swedish female artists from the turn of the century. The name of the exhibition is inspired by a quote from artist Ida Matton – one of the female pioneers of sculpture, which had traditionally been seen as a male occupation.

Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2, Stockholm
www.nationalmuseum.se

Play Beyond Play
(until 31 December)
Computer games are not just for children, as this exhibition at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm shows. Gaming is a global phenomenon that taps as much into nostalgia as future digital technology. Enter this all-encompassing experience to learn more about the history of computer games, and to try playing a few yourself. Perfect for a rainy day!

Museivägen 7, Stockholm
www.tekniskamuseet.se