Kuhmo is the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2023, and the program of the Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter is based on this idea. The week starts on Sunday 19.2. with a Kuhmo Chamber Music’s winter concert, where the program includes largely new and old Finnish music. The atmosphere varies from Sibelius to Toivo Kärki and from Jouni Kaipainen to Outi Tarkiainen. The open-minded combinations give a foretaste of the summer festival.

On Tuesday, the linguist Janne Saarikivi will provoke his audience to think about what language we will speak in 2050. The lecture will be heard in Juminkeko on the International Mother Language Day of UNESCO.

Ideas behind Ville Heikkinen’s nature photographs can be heard the same evening on Tuesday. Heikkinen is one of the most recognized nature photographers in Finland who has won a Competition on Nature photographs in 2017 and 2019. In 2022 he won it again in the series of mammal photos.

Sakari Kukko and Piirpauke are internationally famous names of the Finnish soundscape. Piirpauke, which has influenced on the musical arena for 50 years immediately from the beginning of its career, is still keeping the first place in the most sold albums of the instrumental music. On Wednesday evening 22.2. there will be a brilliant opportunity to see the group as it was in the beginning and to hear new folk music classics.

The official opening ceremonies of Kuhmo’s year as Capital of Culture will take place on Friday 24^th in a two-part event. During the day at 11:30 a.m. the opening will start with an open-air event on the territory of the Tuupala schools. The outdoor event includes a skiing competition between different cultural groups, music performances, a snow sculpture exhibition and greetings from international guest. The program continues at the Kuhmo Arts Centre at 6 p.m. One of the main performers of the opening ceremonies is a Norwegian Sami Torgeir Vassvik with his band, but guests will also see representatives of Kvens, Setu, Estonians and Hungarians.

The last event of the Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter Event will be marked with a Kainuu atmosphere. Caiania is a local duo known for their music videos, whose musical film Saga Caiania will be presented in Kuhmo on Saturday. The authors will also present a short film.

In addition to the individual events, the program includes two exhibitions. You are welcome to get acquainted with an exhibition by a Palestinian-Finnish artist Fady Dow on the Kalevala in Juminkeko. The exhibition is open from 12.1. till 10.3. The Kuhmo Arts Center will host an exhibition on Ville Heikkinen’s nature photos printed on large scale plywood. The exhibition In the wilds of Kuhmo – Photos by Ville Heikkinen is present in a foyer of Kuhmo Arts Centre in February.

Kuhmo Culture Celebrates Winter is realized jointly by the efforts of cultural organizations of Kuhmo. The group of activists include the international festivals Kuhmo Chamber Music and Sommelo, the Kalevala Center Juminkeko, Kuhmon Visitor Center Petola, Kuhmo Town and Kuhmo Arts Center.