Wednesday
10.06.2026
19:00
Chamber Music at Villa Gyllenberg: The Marginalised
The theme of the 2026 “Chamber Music at Villa Gyllenberg” concert series is “The Marginalised.” The series consists of three different subthemes and concerts.
The one-act opera Kerran, by composer Heta Aho and writer Juha Itkonen, tells a love story whose protagonists meet in a hardware store somewhere along a ring road.
Aku Sorensen conductor
Anni Elif vocals
Heta Aho & Juha Itkonen (libretto): Once, one-act opera for soloist and orchestra, concert version
The program for the second half will be confirmed later.
Once tells a love story in the form of a one-act opera, in which the protagonists meet at a hardware store somewhere along a ring road. When the woman encounters her ex, suddenly her entire youth — love, uncertainty, and madness — floods back through her.
Former Tapiola Sinfonietta artist-in-residence, writer Juha Itkonen, and composer Heta Aho created the work Once on commission from the Tapiola Sinfonietta for the 2024 Nuoruus (Youth) Festival. The soloist is singer, cellist, and composer Anni Elif.
Aho drew inspiration for the work from Yona’s idea that “Powerful emotions need an entire orchestra as their canvas.” Yona made this remark while recording the album Uni johon herään (2021) with the Tapiola Sinfonietta.
The musical expression has been inspired not only by Anni Elif herself, with her jazz background, but also by the legendary pop stars Carola Standertskjöld, Seija Simola, and Irina Milan, as well as the rich arrangements of their 1970s recordings.
“The hardware store setting has inspired Aho’s musical imagination to run wild. She masterfully and inventively combines different styles — nostalgic entertainment, jazz, contemporary music, and classical.” Helsingin Sanomat, April 12, 2024
Tapiola Hall, Espoo Cultural Centre
Tickets 10–35 € + subscription fees (starting at €1.50 + 0.65% of the total amount of the order www.lippu.fi)
Tickets 10–35 € + subscription fees (starting at €1.50 + 0.65% of the total amount of the order www.lippu.fi)
The theme of the 2026 “Chamber Music at Villa Gyllenberg” concert series is “The Marginalised.” The series consists of three different subthemes and concerts.
Bad Christmas! Hosted by Antti Holma, the evening features brand‑new compositions to poems by, among others, Reino Leino and Sirsi Sunnas. To make sure the evening is not entirely terrible, the composers represent the very top tier in Finland – not to mention the singers.
Bad Christmas! Hosted by Antti Holma, the evening features brand‑new compositions to poems by, among others, Reino Leino and Sirsi Sunnas. To make sure the evening is not entirely terrible, the composers represent the very top tier in Finland – not to mention the singers.
