The Turku Music Festival brings together a Grammy winner, environmental education and local music classes

The main event of the Turku Music Festival takes place from 8 to 29 August this year, culminating in the long-expected visit by multiple Grammy award winning American mezzosoprano Joyce DiDonato. She brings to Finland the concert production known as EDEN.

EDEN is an extensive project and concert tour combining music, drama and environmental education. Initiated by DiDonato, the project is concluding in 2024. DiDonato wishes to engage audiences on various societal issues and to make a contribution to making the world a better place. The concept of EDEN emerged during the pandemic, as DiDonato observed nature’s resilience and capability for renewal as the human world ground to a halt with lockdowns and restrictions. EDEN is DiDonato’s essay on our relationship with nature as individuals.

“We have had to postpone Joyce DiDonato’s visit several times because of the pandemic, but we are very happy that it is now finally coming true and will end this summer’s festival on a high note. EDEN is a project very important for Ms DiDonato. Before Turku, it has been performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, at the Barbican in London, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, at La Scala in Milan, at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and at the NCPA in Beijng,” explains Liisa Ketomäki, Managing Director of the Turku Music Festival.

“We have been collaborating with the Baroque orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro, founded by author Donna Leon, and with conductor Maxim Emelyanichev for several years, and we will likely engage in even closer collaboration over the coming years, as the new music centre being built in Turku will provide opportunities for instance for opera productions,” says Liisa Ketomäki.

Local children and young people are involved in the production

A particular feature of EDEN is that it brings in local children and adolescents and a child or youth choir in every community where the production is performed. Known as ‘EDEN engagement’, the purpose of this programme is to involve kids and teens in thinking about local environmental challenges, giving them a concrete understanding and knowledge of nature and the direct impact that they themselves have on the world around us. “In Turku, the world-class musicians of Il Pomo d’Oro and Joyce DiDonato will be working with music class students in workshops and rehearsals that involve not just rehearsing music but also discussing the themes of the concert. The choir of the Music Classes also performs at the concert,” says Liisa Ketomäki.

"We are pleased and honoured to be invited to participate in this production. Taking responsibility and an active approach to caring for our natural environment is important for children. It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to address these current issues in performing with Joyce DiDonato," says music class teacher Oona Heiskala.

As a tangible example of a measure going beyond the traditional concert experience is the ‘EDEN Sustainability Challenge’, jointly created by Botanic Gardens Conservation International and DiDonato. The purpose of this is to use simple means for promoting a more sustainable lifestyle. The practical manifestation of this is that every concertgoer is given a packet of seeds to plant, provided by BGCI. Audience members around the world are invited to plant these seeds to diversify and revitalise their environment.

“We are really proud of this project and the concert production, which we have been able to bring to Finnish audiences thanks to support from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. The production combines high-quality classical music with important music education among children and adolescents, along with the desire to make a positive contribution to the future of our Earth. DiDonato sees the tour as a means for influencing, through children and adolescents, the thinking that will lay the foundation for our future,” Liisa Ketomäki adds.