Sounds of Luosto: Popular classical music festival set in the middle of Lapland’s nature

For the fifth time, Sounds of Luosto will once again gather classical music lovers to Luosto, Pyhätunturi and Sodankylä for an unforgettable experience. The chamber music festival will take place from 31 July to 3 August this year, and an outstanding programme of performances around the theme of ‘light’ is soon to be announced.

Sounds of Luosto is organised by Kuusikko soi ry, which was founded in 2019. The first festival took place in the summer of 2021 and since then this an opportunity for classical music lovers to enjoy wonderful chamber music performances set in Lappish nature.

With a varied programme of chamber and orchestral music around the theme of ‘light’, this year’s concerts will include interesting new and upcoming players as well as established stars from Finland and abroad. “Our programme for 2025 explores light as a constant of life and physics from as many perspectives as possible,” says Aku Sorensen, conductor and artistic director. “There will be suns and moons, light and shadows, well-known masterpieces and new gems.”

Aku Sorensen has been the artistic director of the festival Sounds of Luosto since the beginning. Photo: Mario Ramirez

Familiar classics and unknown works

This year’s festival programme and performers will be announced in February and tickets will go on sale at the same time. “The festival is always a wonderful event and it’s fantastic to see how the audience connects with the music,” says the conductor. “Once again, Sounds of Luosto will feature a wide range of orchestral and chamber music concerts with dramatic programmes that tie familiar, lesser-heard, and newer works together.”

In addition to the concerts, there will be side events including free morning presentations explaining the background to the concerts, the composers and their styles. And before the festival even starts, musicians will meet the public in a number of pop-up performances, bringing music to the heart of people’s everyday lives.

The Ukko-Luosto outdoor stage is in the middle of the Pyhä-Luosto national park. Photo Heikki Pälviä

Open-air stage and wooden church

As usual, the main concert on Saturday will take place on the Ukko-Luosto open-air stage. This is a one-of-a-kind natural auditorium on the slopes in Pyhä-Luosto National Park, with far-reaching views of the horizon. “People can arrive to the fell in their hiking gear, directly from the national park,” says the conductor. “It’s possibly the only stage in the world where you can pick blueberries from your seat, which is quite special!”

Another fantastic venue is the Porttikoski stage on the banks of the river Kitinen. Built according to traditions of 1960s Finnish carpentry, its octagonal shape and wooden construction provides a unique architectural and acoustic experience. Other great concert venues include the municipal hall and the atmospheric wooden church in Sodankylä, which is over 330 years old and preserved as a historical destination.

The main day of the festival always ends in a hugely popular saloon concert. Photo Heikki Pälviä

Storytelling and echoes of history

Every year, the festival programme has a storytelling nature and is centred around a certain theme, and every act fits within that framework. Previous themes include ‘stories and myths’ and ‘echoes of history’, which highlighted, among other things, works by female composers who have long been neglected in history books.

Sounds of Luosto and its setting in Lapland’s nature makes for an unforgettable experience for the audience as well as the musicians. “It’s fantastic that people from all over Finland and further afield find their way to us every year,” adds Sorensen. “We’ve had a touchingly positive reception, from both the audience and our musicians. In fact, many of our performers return every year, as here, in the middle of the Lappish landscape, they find silence and a place to recharge even with a busy concert schedule.”

The Porttikoski dance stage is a unique, octagonal venue that was built by the local community. Photo Tuula Lampela

Web: luostosoi.fi/en
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Sounds of Luosto takes place 31 July to 3 August 2025. The programme will be announced and tickets will be available in February.