Crusell Music Festival 27 July – 2 August 

Amour – Love and French Music

“Finland’s Beethoven,” Bernhard Crusell, was born in Uusikaupunki in 1775. The music festival celebrating Crusell has established its place among Finland’s most beloved summer events.

In 2026, Crusell Week celebrates love and French music. The beautiful French word amour can make your head spin and lighten your step. Concerts take place in the charming historic surroundings of Uusikaupunki and nearby areas, in churches and unique 19th-century wooden houses. 

The festival brings renewed attention to the vocal works of Finland’s first significant composer, Bernhard Crusell (1775–1838). His songs will be performed by leading Finnish soprano Helena Juntunen, who will also give a salon concert at Crusell’s birthplace and share insights into the daily life of an opera singer.

The summer’s international guest ensemble arrives straight from the theatres of Paris. Les Bons Becs—four clarinetists and a percussionist—shake up the traditional concert format. At their performances, even the musicians catch the groove, and laughter is part of the music!

Top Finnish instrumentalists include violinist Elina Vähälä, flutist Kaisa Kortelainen, and clarinetist Olli Leppäniemi. Pianists featured are Naoko Ichihashi, Kirill Kozlovski, Matilda Kärkkäinen, and Jouko Laivuori. You’ll also want to be there when Kari Vuola plays the magnificent Marcussen organ of Uusikaupunki’s New Church.

The music week naturally includes woodwind courses, and the talented students can be heard in street performances and concerts alike. Lectures and panel discussions by international teachers are open to everyone.

The Crusell Week family concert once again draws hundreds of listeners of all ages to the Cruselli Cultural Centre. After the concert, an open instrument trial session will be held in the lobby—come and see if you can get a sound out of an oboe!