Turku Music Festival will bring one of Europe’s most prestigious classical music events to Turku when the Berliner Philharmoniker performs its annual Europakonzert at the new Fuuga Concert Hall on 1 May 2027.
The Europakonzert is the Berliner Philharmoniker’s international concert series, presented annually at culturally and historically significant venues across Europe, while also commemorating the founding of the Berliner Philharmoniker on 1 May 1882. Founded in 1991, the Europakonzert has become one of the world’s most widely broadcast classical music events.
The concert in Turku on May Day 2027 will be broadcast internationally through television and streaming platforms. As an EuroArts production, co-produced by ZDF, Yle, Mezzo and Film Figures Libres in cooperation with Arte and Medici.tv, the Europakonzert will be broadcast to over 80 countries. The concert will also be streamed live in the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall. Further broadcast details and times will be announced at a later date.
“Europakonzert at Fuuga is a historic occasion for Turku and, at the same time, a major moment for Finnish musical life. We are delighted that the Berlin Philharmonic will be performing at Fuuga. We are proud that the Turku Music Festival creates artistic encounters in Turku where international excellence, the city’s unique identity, and audiences come together in the best possible way,” says Piia Elo, Mayor of Turku.
The concert will be conducted by the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko, with Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes appearing as soloist. The programme includes Jean Sibelius’ tone poem Night Ride and Sunrise for orchestra, Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”.
Within the Media Board of the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, the arrival of the Europakonzert in Finland is seen as a natural continuation of the concert series’ international mission:
“Since 1991, these concerts, held at culturally and historically significant venues, have combined artistic excellence with a message of unity, peace, and our shared European cultural heritage. The construction of a new concert hall is a forward-looking decision today, as physical infrastructure and digital reach are mutually dependent. While high-quality television and online broadcasts bring artistic excellence to audiences around the world, outstanding music ultimately requires an acoustically perfect physical space in which to be created. By investing in the Fuuga Concert Hall, Turku is creating the essential foundation for a world-class cultural experience. Through our broadcasts, we are then able to share that experience with audiences across the globe.”
Jussi Merikanto, CEO of the Turku Music Festival and a key figure in bringing the Europakonzert to Turku, sees the project both as a significant cultural achievement and as the beginning of a new era for the city:
“This concert is more than a guest performance: it is an artistic statement in support of nature, peace, education, and European connection. The involvement of the City of Turku, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and Yle makes it a shared cultural achievement and a powerful step towards the future of the Turku Music Festival at Fuuga and within new international collaborations. Echoing the historic motto of the University of Turku, the concert is a gift from free art to a free people”.
This concert is more than a guest performance: it is an artistic statement in support of nature, peace, education, and European connection.
The Europakonzert is renowned as a concert series that combines artistic excellence with European cultural heritage and historically significant architectural venues. Previous concert locations have included historic castles, churches, and major concert halls across Europe.
At the same time, the Turku Europakonzert places the new Fuuga Concert Hall firmly within the international network of major concert venues and cultural events. Through the international television and streaming broadcast, Turku and the Finnish cultural landscape will also be showcased to audiences around the world. Yle will broadcast the concert to Finnish audiences through its own channels.
The 2027 Europakonzert in Turku is presented by the Turku Music Festival and the Berliner Philharmoniker in collaboration with Fuuga and Yle. The project is supported by the City of Turku and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The Berliner Philharmoniker’s Europakonzert 2027 is also supported by Postcode Lotterie and Karolina Blaberg Stiftung.
Europakonzert
- Since 1991, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Europakonzert has been an annual concert held every 1 May to celebrate the orchestra’s founding in 1882 as an independent orchestra formed by musicians.
- The concert series was launched in the aftermath of the Cold War and during a period of renewed European integration, with the aim of highlighting Europe’s shared cultural heritage and the unifying power of culture through music.
- Over the decades, the Europakonzert has become one of the best-known televised cultural events in the international classical music world.
- In recent years, the concerts have taken place at venues including the Sagrada Família in Barcelona (2023), Tsinandali in Georgia (2024), Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Italy (2025), and Esterházy Palace in Austria (2026).
Tickets go on public sale on Monday, 15 June 2026 at 10:00 AM. Tickets 124–139 €.