Turku Philharmonic enters into Composer-in-Residence arrangement with Sebastian Fagerlund

Sebastian Fagerlund, one of the most successful and significant European composers working today, will become Composer-in-Residence of the Turku Philharmonic in autumn 2022. During this three-year appointment, the orchestra will perform his works in concerts whose programmes he will also design. The appointment further includes a commission for a new work.

Freedom and stability wanted from Taiteen talo

Taiteen talo will be hatched this year from Rettig's old tobacco factory. The City of Turku bought the property to secure the conditions for the arts and creative industries and to provide permanent facilities for cultural operators.

Common Cultural Promise of City of Turku guides the Cultural spearhead project

Turku's common Cultural Promise: “The age of art and culture!” is the product of a participatory process and provides a direction for the future Cultural spearhead project. After the launch of an extensive planning phase in the autumn, a strategic and visionary view of the development of culture in Turku has been created. The Cultural and Youth Committee will discuss the Cultural Promise at its meeting on 24 March. After it has been discussed in the committee, the matter will proceed to the Turku City Council for approval.

World-renowned acoustician Eckhard Kahle selected as chief acoustics designer for the Turku Music Centre 

The alliance team for the Turku Music Centre has selected Akukon & Kahle Acoustics as acoustic designers for the Turku Music Centre.

Turku indoor sports facilities closed for two weeks

On the basis of the decision of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southwestern Finland, the City of Turku’s indoor sports facilities and swimming pools will be closed and public events will be cancelled for the first weeks of the year. The COVID-19 passport will not be used as of 30 December.

Recommendations and restrictions at Turku sports facilities until 31 December 2021

Performances, competitions and matches at the city’s sports facili-ties will be organized without an audience from 22 to 31 December 2021. Sports clubs’ practice sessions are also recommended to be organized without an audience. Sports facilities can be accessed by presenting a COVID-19 passport. Outdoor sports facilities are open for independent use.

The COVID-19 passport will be introduced in the city’s services

The City of Turku will introduce the COVID-19 passport in most of the city's services, in some customer facilities and in public events. The COVID-19 passport will be introduced on a large scale as of 10 December. Help in downloading and printing a COVID-19 passport is offered to the residents in libraries, in the Impivaara swimming centre, and in the Monitoris at the Market Square and Skanssi.

Turku is collecting opinions for city's common Cultural Promise 2029

The City of Turku is inviting residents and various stakeholders to participate in drafting the city’s common Cultural Promise. The outcome of the work on the Cultural Promise will be a shared strategic and visionary outlook for science, culture, and cultural well-being extending to 2029. The Cultural Promise is to be drafted through extensive cooperation, and the aim is for it to be completed by the end of the year.

A new world-class concert house to be built in Turku

A unique concert house will be built on the Independence Square at the heart of the City Turku, by the river Aura. The concert house will feature world-class acoustics and innovative design. The construction will be finished by the end of 2025.

A library of almost one hundred languages

Turku City Library is one of the most multilingual libraries in Finland. Our libraries have books in more than 90 languages. For more than 50 of these languages, there are at least ten titles available. In Turku, the proportion of multilingual books in borrowed adult books is about 10 per cent and in borrowed children and young people’s books, about 5 per cent.