The Czech Philharmonic will travel to the 2026 Helsinki Festival (18 August – 5 September) for two concerts at Helsinki's Musiikkitalo concert hall, marking the orchestra's return to the Finnish capital after 51 years.
Celebrating its 130th anniversary in the 2025/2026 season, the Philharmonic is renowned for its interpretations of Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, composers who remain core to its repertoire and are equally beloved by Finnish audiences. Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov has led the orchestra since 2018.
Recent honours include Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year title (2024) and the BBC Music Magazine orchestral award (2025) for its recording of Smetana's Má vlast. In December 2025, Bychkov also conducted the prestigious Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm.
Saturday, 29 August, 19:00
Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto (soloist: South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 2022)
Bedřich Smetana: Má vlast
On Má vlast, Bychkov remarked: "We all have our homeland. Smetana gives voice to his country's longings, character and dreams for the future – emotions we all share."
More information: Helsinki Festival · Musiikkitalo · Czech Philharmonic
