Helsinki Festival to feature Rufus Wainwright’s Dream Requiem and the Czech Philharmonic

The Czech Philharmonic will perform under conductor Semyon Bychkov, featuring star violinist Janine Jansen as a soloist, and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan’s 13 Tongues will enchant the audiences at Dance House Helsinki. Rufus Wainwright will have a twofold role in the festival programme, hosting a solo concert at Huvila and a performance of his Dream Requiem at Musiikkitalo. Huvila will host an evening of a cappella with Club For Five and Rajaton.

Helsinki Festival will be the cherry on the cake of the capital’s cultural events next summer, including a wonderful variety of performances and concerts by Finnish and overseas artists. The first festival features have now been published. The 2026 Helsinki Festival will take place from Tuesday, 18 August to Saturday, 5 September.

“The festival will strengthen Helsinki’s vitality and cultural appeal by bringing top art to the city. The works, representing a variety of art forms, are all impactful, reflecting virtuosic skill and the capacity to touch audiences’ souls. Warmth, communality and collective power feature heavily alongside the excellence of solo talent,” says Johanna Freundlich, Helsinki Festival’s Artistic Director.

Rufus Wainwright is one of the most significant singer-songwriters and composers of his generation. His impressive Dream Requiem will be performed at Musiikkitalo on 18 August by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dalia Stasevska, with actress Laura Birn as the narrator, soprano Anna Prohaska as the soloist and Key Ensemble as the chorus. When the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France premiered the work under conductor Mikko Franck in Paris in 2024, the narrator was Meryl Streep.

Huvila’s programme will begin on 20 August with a rare concert by the brilliant Wainwright, with the artist’s chanson-like and piano-heavy songs coming to life in the venue’s intimate atmosphere. The master of baroque pop will interpret great works from throughout his career at the grand piano, tying the pieces together through personal stories and thoughtful dialogue with his audience.

A string of visits by top international orchestras at Helsinki Festival will continue when the Czech Philharmonic performs at Musiikkitalo on 28 August under Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov. The evening’s programme will be ambitious: the dramatic Symphony No. 7 by the much-loved Czech composer Antonín Dvořák will be preceded by Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto, with Dutch star violinist Janine Jansen as the soloist.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, which has been operating since 1973, is the first contemporary dance group in the Chinese-speaking region. The theatre’s Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung’s 13 Tongues takes viewers on a journey into the colourful culture of the Bangka/Wanhua district in Taipei. The work draws on the choreographer’s childhood memories and the tales of a legendary storyteller who played and imitated a motley crew of characters on the streets of Bangka in the 1960s. The work, which has been highly praised and sold out venues across the world, combines Taiwanese folk songs with Taoist chant and electronic music as well as the abundant visuality and dance. 13 Tongues will be performed at Dance House Helsinki 27–29 August.

Huvila will have the honour of hosting vocal magic as two of Finland’s leading ensembles,  Rajaton and Club For Five, meet for the years only joint gig in Helsinki in 2026. In addition to the virtuoso vocal ensembles’ own songs, the Huvila event on 29 August will feature new pieces and arrangements by both groups, as well as songs arranged especially for this concert to be performed by the 11-strong vocal lineup. 

Tickets for the concerts and performances at Dance House Helsinki and Huvila are available at lippu.fi and for the Musiikkitalo events at musiikkitalo.fi.

Helsinki Festival will be held from 18 August to 5 September 2026. More details about the programme will be released in spring 2026.

The visits by the Czech Philharmonic and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre are supported by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. Helsinki Festival’s main partners are Elisa and Helsingin Sanomat.

Image: Rufus Wainwright (c) Deborah Pelser