On Friday 23 May 2025 at 19.00, Helsinki and its partner city of Dnipro in Ukraine will celebrate their cooperation with a special concert at the Temppeliaukio Church, when the City of Helsinki will welcome Dnipro’s esteemed Four Seasons chamber orchestra to perform in Finland’s capital. The concert will be a special occasion, as the musicians in the orchestra have been working in different countries since the start of the war in Ukraine, so they have rarely been able to perform as an ensemble.
Premiere performance and Queen Elisabeth Competition winner
The 20-member Four Seasons chamber orchestra from Ukraine is led by the world-renowned conductor Dmytro Logvin, who is also an award-winning artistic director in his home country. The concert will include elements from both the musical traditions of Finland and Ukraine, with classical music from Johan Sebastian Bach, the iconic Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and the Ukrainian composer Zoltan Almashi. A work by the composer Cesare Chiacchiaretta named “Sunflower Seeds” will also be performed for the first time in Finland at the concert.
The “Sunflower Seeds of Hope” concert will feature the violinist Dmytro Udovychenko, who won first place in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition last year. Other soloists that will be featured include pianist Igor Tchetuev and accordionist Yevhen Zhyla.
Dnipro is an internationally recognised hub of classical music in Europe. The international “Music without Limits” festival organized in the city become a cultural milestone, attracting musicians from across Europe to participate. The accomplished Four Seasons chamber orchestra and its soloists significantly contributed to the festival’s overall success.
Helsinki supports Ukraine and the people of Ukraine and Dnipro
The City of Helsinki has supported Ukraine and its people in many ways since the outbreak of the war. Helsinki and its partner city of Dnipro drew up a cooperation agreement in 2023. Much of the support provided has been targeted to young people and children. In 2025, Helsinki has supported Dnipro with a sum of EUR 110,000, most of which was used to cover the cost of summer camp operations for young people. The support has also enabled the Four Seasons chamber orchestra’s visit to Helsinki. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has also done considerable damage to the country’s art and culture scene. Cultural activities have suffered, and there are fewer opportunities for musicians to practice their profession. Music plays an important role during wartime in preserving Ukraine’s identity and instilling hope.
The City of Helsinki has also invited Dnipro to participate in the World Village Festival that will take place in Helsinki on 24- 25 May. The 2025 theme for the festival is Peace.
