Chamber Music in Jakobstad
November
Rusk is a chamber music festival held annually in Pietarsaari/Jakobstad, Finland at the end of November. At the heart of this festival embracing superb chamber music and various other genres of the arts is the Schauman Hall in the centre of town, but the events also spread out into the surrounding urban environment.
The festival was founded in 2013 by clarinettist Christoffer Sundqvist and composer Sebastian Fagerlund, who both served as the festival’s artistic directors from 2013 to 2019. In 2020 conductor Anna-Maria Helsing was appointed as new artistic director of Rusk.
In the space of one week, artists both Finnish and foreign give concerts of both chamber music classics and rarities along with contemporary works. Rusk seeks to reflect the present day and age with its myriad variations and challenges. It is a melting pot in which creativity is unleashed in exotic contexts at the darkest, bleakest time of the northern year.
Runeberg Week
February
Runeberg Week, the annual culture event organised by the city of Jakobstad, celebrates the great author and poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Runeberg was born in the town of Jakobstad. This week offers program for everyone, young and old and highlights litterature. Audiences will enjoy lectures by authors, theater and concerts.
Jakobs Dagar
July
Jakobs Dagar is an annual city festival in Jakobstad/Pietarsaari usually during the last week of July. Every year a “Lazy Jacob” is chosen among the inhabitants.