Vantaa’s own symphony orchestra offers world-class music experiences

Established in 1947, the Vantaa Orchestra is Finland’s most versatile full-range symphony orchestra. According to Chief Conductor Nick Davies, who has been with the orchestra since 2011, the changing repertoire and adapting to what the audience wants is possible thanks to the professionalism of the diverse players.

“Flexibility and listening to what the audience wants is a special strength of the Vantaa Orchestra. We can choose the best and most suitable players for each performance, depending on the style,” Davies says.

According to Davies, the orchestra represents Vantaa wherever it performs. Despite having performed major film music concerts and other light music concerts at Helsinki Music Centre, the Vantaa Orchestra primarily belongs to Vantaa residents.

“Our home is Cultural House Martinus, where we can offer various styles of music to our local listeners. However, I would also like to see new larger concert halls open in Vantaa, so that we could serve the local audience even better,” Davies says.

The Vantaa Orchestra’s programme for the upcoming season includes something for everyone. For example, there will be concerts with celebrated guest artists such as Samu Haber. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the orchestra will also release a record composed by Lauri Porra, the orchestra’s Artistic Partner, titled “Ajan ja aineen messu” (“Mass of Time and Matter”). The composition was premiered at the Helsinki Festival.

“The diversity of the repertoire and the continuous effort to develop the activities is what makes the Vantaa Orchestra different from many other symphony orchestras,” Davies says.

^{This article was published in Resident magazine 1/2023. Read the other articles on the resident magazine home page!}