Time of Music – Musiikin aika

This year’s theme of Time of Music, Games of participation, reflects on inclusion and the role of artists and audiences in a world shaped by digitisation and social media. The theme can be seen both in the festival’s speech programme and in the concerts featuring many interactive works. Performers include internationally renowned contemporary music artists and ensembles such as IEMA Ensemble, Decoder Ensemble and Laura Bowler. Programme consists of work by composers such as Jesper Nordin, Walter Sallinen and Alexander Schubert.

Founded in 1982, Time of Music focuses on cutting-edge contemporary music, and hosts the most important composers and artists of the field yearly, gaining an international reputation as a courageous, border-breaking and innovative event. Its exotic and remote location in the small town, by the lake, has caused a buzz among the visitors which cannot be compared to any other festival. “The spirit of Viitasaari” is a known statement spread throughout the most active countries of contemporary music. Time of Music offers summer academy courses and workshops; because of that, it is an important meeting point for music professionals and students from Finland and abroad. The festival offers not only concerts but meetings and lectures plus presentations. In 2009 Finland Festivals chose Time of Music The Festival of The Year. The artistic director is composer Johan Tallgren, who is the fifth artistic director in the festival’s history, after composers Jukka Tiensuu, Jarmo Sermilä, Tapio Tuomela and Perttu Haapanen.