Lieksa Brass Week is one of the world’s most significant brass music festivals. Every year, around the turn of July and August, the greatest masters of brass music from all over the world gather in the small town of Lieksa to perform, meet each other, and most importantly, to teach an international, talented youth. Lieksa Brass Week is a member festival of Finland Festivals and is the largest classical music festival in the North Karelia region and the largest brass music festival in the Nordic countries.
Founded on the initiative of Music Counselor Erkki Eskelinen, Lieksa Brass Week, now in its 43rd year in the summer of 2024, was established to provide brass players and brass music in Finland and Lieksa with a high-level educational and concert event similar to what the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival had become for string players and woodwind musicians.
The Lieksa Brass Week festival includes a high-quality concert series, courses, competitions, and free courtyard concerts. The featured instrument for the upcoming festival is the trumpet, and the festival will host the 6th International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in Memoriam) during the summer of 2024.
The uniqueness of Lieksa Brass Week is emphasized by the vast wilderness surrounding the town, including the Koli National Park, and one of Finland’s largest and cleanest lakes, Lake Pielinen. At Lieksa Brass Week, one can pause amidst the quiet nature to experience culture, spend time with friends, and meet new people.
The festival’s artistic director is one of the world’s most renowned classical art music trumpet soloists, Jouko Harjanne. He has performed as a soloist with symphony orchestras worldwide and served as the principal trumpet of the Radio Symphony Orchestra.
