Savonlinna Music Academy - Savonlinnan Musiikkiakatemia

Ralf Gothóni 80 vuotta -juhlakonsertti 22.7.2026✨
Kauko Sorjosen säätiön nimikkokonsertti

Dmitri Šostakovitšin pianotrion sekä Antonín Dvořákin pianokvinteton lisäksi juhlakonsertissa kuultiin Ralf Gothónin sovittamat 5 suomalaista kansanlaulua, sekä Gothónin uusi laulusarja Meren ja taivaan välissä, 5 romanttista aforismia.

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Ralf Gothóni - piano
Mi-kyung Lee & Ferdinand Eppendorf - viulu
Mark Gothóni - viulu, alttoviulu
Yuko Miyagawa & Marko Ylönen - sello
Jinging Xu - mezzosopraano
Chaojun Yang - piano

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Ralf Gothóni 80 years jubilee concert ✨
Kauko Sorjonen Foundation Signature Concert

In addition to Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio and Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quintet, the jubilee concert featured Five Finnish Folk Songs arranged by Ralf Gothóni, as well as the premiere of his new song cycle: Between Sea and Sky, Five Romantic Aphorisms.

Congratulations Ralf!❤️

Masterclasses? Concerts? Sure.

But also:

Exploring the city
Shared meals
Adventures (in the Finnish nature😏)
Inside jokes
Coffee breaks
Lots of laughter
And swimming🤿

We love hearing music filling the halls, but just as much, we love the laughter in between classes, new friendships forming, and old friends meeting again

Opera II masterclass concert

Teachers: Annette Weber & Audrey Saint-Gil
Pianist: Kirill Kozlovski

Photographer: J.J. Koski Juuso Koski

Enes Aksu,
The talented Turkish countertenor, visited us after being awarded a scholarship to the Savonlinna Music Academy Opera Masterclass as a prize for winning the 18th National Young Soloists Competition in İzmir, Turkey, in the Young Professionals category.

His concert performance was truly unforgettable. Enes performed ”Penna tiranna” from Händel’s Amadigi di Gaula with extraordinary artistry, emotion, and vocal brilliance. By the end of the performance, there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience💕

Beyond being an exceptional musician, Enes was a genuinely warm and lovely person. We thoroughly enjoyed having him with us, and it was a real pleasure to share this experience with him. We are so grateful for his visit and wish him every success as his remarkable career continues to flourish. We look forward to welcoming him back again someday!🥹

Emma Karsten, Johannes Pessi

Sakari Topi

Hannele Ahola

Martin Iivarinen

Gabriel Kivivuori Sereno & Iris Candelaria

Johannes Pessi

Matvei Palola

Marjaana Ritanen

This summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming scholarship student William Lin to the Savonlinna Music Academy.

In 2025, William won the Gold Award in Violin – Category D at the 4th Singapore International Music Competition.

During his stay, William attended Mark Gothóni’s masterclass and performed Pablo de Sarasate´s Zigeunerweisen in the concert with pianist Timo Koskinen. The young violinist, who lives in California, travelled to Savonlinna straight from a concert in London.

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How was the masterclass, and how did you feel performing?

”On stage, I felt relaxed, and I tried to just enjoy the music. During the masterclass, I received a lot of great advice from Mark that I hadn’t thought about before. It feels like he opened my eyes to new aspects of playing.”

What about your stay in Finland and Savonlinna?
”I’ve never been to Finland before. Savonlinna is very different from California, but I’ve really enjoyed my time here. It has felt like a summer holiday.”

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When asked about Finnish food and whether he had tried any, William’s eyes lit up. He had tasted muikku (vendace), a local traditional delicacy, and seemed to enjoy it very much.

It was wonderful to have William with us this summer. We wish him all the best as he continues his musical journey—and hope this won’t be his last visit to Savonlinna.

A special thank you to masterclass teacher Mark Gothóni for sharing his expertise, and to pianist Timo Koskinen for the wonderful collaboration with William during his visit.

🤍

In 1st pic (left to right):
Mar Gothóni
William Lin
Timo Koskinen

Singapore International Music Competition

Kesän avaus 5.7.2026
Aino Ackté 150 vuotta – juhlakonsertti

Iris Candelaria, sopraano iris candelaria
Maiju Vaahtoluoto, mezzosopraano Maiju Vaahtoluoto
Kristian Attila, piano

Kuvat: J.J. Koski Juuso Koski

Maiju Vaahtoluoto

Iris Candelaria, Maiju Vaahtoluoto

Iris Candelaria

Kristian Attila

Kristian Attila, Iris Candelaria, Maiju Vaahtoluoto

Lähtisitkö tänään oopperaan?✨

Reilun kolmen tunnin päästä (klo 15.00) alkaa toinen Amore in confusione -oopperaesitys Savonlinnasalissa, ja meillä on nopeimmille 3 kpl alennuslippuja (30€/kpl). Jos haluat napata itsellesi lipun, pistä meille viestiä täällä facebookissa ja voit sitten lunastaa lipun ovelta klo 13.45 alkaen. 1 lippu / henkilö ❤️

Ja hei! Klo 14.00 Wanhalla Casinolla teos- ja taiteilijaesittelyt Aarno Cronvallin johdolla.

Nähdään oopperassa 🎶🤩

Esityksen kesto reilu tunti, lisätietoja: www.savonlinnamusicacademy.com

Savonlinnan Musiikkiakatemian Mestarikurssikonsertit 2026

Sellon mestarikurssin päätöskonsertti I & II
📍I: Melartin-sali, Sotilaspojankatu 1, Savonlinna
📍II: Riihisaari - Savonlinnan museo, Riihisaari I
🎟️Vapaa pääsy, käsiohjelmamaksu (vapaa summa)

Savonlinnan musiikkiakatemian kesäkausi alkaa lähestyä loppua, m***a vielä riittää konsertteja!

Marko Ylösen sellomestarikurssin päätteksi järjestämme kaksi konserttia, 23.7. klo 19.00 Melartin-salissa sekä 24.7. klo 19.00 Riihisaaressa (Savonlinnan museo). Huom! Konserteissa eri ohjelmat.

Konserteissa kuullaan viikon aikana työstettyjä teoksia nuorten sellotaiteilijoiden esittämänä. Tervetuloa nauttimaan upeista konserteista

Valeria Resjan – piano

Savonlinna Music Academy Masterclass Concerts 2026
Cello Masterclass Final Concerts I & II
📍I: Melartin Hall, Sotilaspojankatu 1, Savonlinna
📍II: Riihisaari – Savonlinna Museum, Riihisaari I
🎟️Free admission. Voluntary programme fee.

The Savonlinna Music Academy summer season is gradually drawing to a close, but there are still wonderful concerts to enjoy!

To conclude Marko Ylönen’s Cello Masterclass, we will present two final concerts:
23 July at 7:00 PM – Melartin Hall
24 July at 7:00 PM – Riihisaari (Savonlinna Museum)
Please note: The two concerts feature different programmes.

The concerts showcase the pieces that the young cellists have been preparing throughout the masterclass week. We warmly welcome you to enjoy these inspiring performances by the next generation of cello artists.

Valeria Resjan – piano

Kuva: Timo Seppäläinen