Info
About
Every other summer Tampere celebrates the diversity of the human voice at the festival of choral and ensemble singing. Since 1975 in the international atmosphere of the festival, old and new music, choir tradition and for instance beatboxing all coexist in harmony. The festival culminates in the finales of the Chorus Review and the Contest for Vocal Ensembles, where the atmosphere is palpable. In addition, workshops and free concerts draw audience interested in vocal music from around the world.
The Artistic Director for the 2023 edition of the festival is Kari Turunen.
Kuva: Laura Vanzo / Visit Tampere
Venues and Accessibility
Tampere Vocal Music Festival is based at Tampere Hall but it also features performances at various other venues in the city centre of Tampere. See all the venues and read about accessibility at each of them by clicking “venues”.
Arriving in Tampere and Local Transport
By bus
To travel to Tampere by bus, please consult the journey planner on the Matkahuolto website. The bus station is about 1 km from Tampere Hall.
By train
To travel to Tampere by train, please consult the journey planner on the VR website. The railway station is about 500 metres from Tampere Hall.
By ferry
Tampere is easily accessible by train from the port cities of Helsinki and Turku (travel time 2 hours; in Turku the trains leave directly from the port area). Please consult the journey planner on the VR website.
For travelling from Stockholm, see Viking Line and Tallink Silja. For travelling from Tallinn, see Eckerö Line, Viking Line and Tallink Silja. For travelling from Travemünde, see Finnlines.
By Air
You may choose to fly to Helsinki or directly to Tampere. Local bus 103 runs from Tampere-Pirkkala Airport to the city centre. The timetable is coordinated with all arriving and departing flights. For bus and train connections to Tampere from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (the journey takes about 2 hours), please consult the Matkahuolto and VR websites.
Local public transport
We recommend using ecologically favourable means of transport when attending our events. Public transport in Tampere (buses and trams) offers a very efficient way to get from your accommodation to concert venues, even from outside the city centre. The nearest tram stop is the Tulli stop, and the nearest bus stops are on Itsenäisyydenkatu and on Yliopistonkatu. The local public transport journey planner is available on the Nysse website.
You can pay with contactless card or with the Nysse Mobiili app. Single tickets can also be bought in advance at R-kiosks or at the Sokos and Stockmann department stores. For a complete list of points of sale, visit here.
Parking
As the parking spaces in Tampere Hall’s outdoor car park are limited, we recommend using the park halls close to Tampere Hall: P-Tampere-talo, P-Tulli and P-Hämppi. For park halls, please consult the Finnpark website.
There is one bus stop (30 min), one taxi stand, 2 disabled parking slots and one electric car charging station available in the small front yard next to the main entrance.
Bikes
There are bike racks outside Tampere Hall for those cycling to events.
Tampere city bikes offer a quick and convenient mode of transport for work and leisure alike. There are numerous city bike docking stations around the city centre. To use the city bikes, you need to download the Tampereen kaupunkipyörät app to register as a user and to pay for bike use.
In Short
This is what the Tampere Vocal Music Festival is all about.
Concerts
The Tampere Vocal Music Festival features a diverse menu of interesting choirs and vocal ensembles, with a couple of surprise performers thrown in at the Festival Clubs.
Chorus Review
The Chorus Review is a non-competitive event that has formed the cornerstone of the Festival since 1975. Over the past decades, it has hosted choirs from all around the world.
Contest for Vocal Ensembles
Conceived by vocal music enthusiast Kalle Kaihari and established in 1989, the Contest for Vocal Ensembles has evolved into an event of professional quality with the potential to launch an international career for excellent vocal ensembles.
Workshops
The Festival programme is complemented by workshops for choral singers and choir conductors, as well as panel discussions about current issues in the choral community.
Media
Accreditation and photo requests: katariina.pasuri@tampere.fi
Artistic Team 2023
Kari Turunen, Artistic Director
Jussi Chydenius
Reijo Kekkonen
Timo Lehtovaara
Heikki Liimola
Inari Tilli
Sanna Valvanne
Tampere Music Festivals
Tampere Music Festivals consists of the Tampere Biennale, Tampere Vocal Music Festival and Tampere Jazz Happening. Since 1990, Tampere Music Festivals has been responsible for organising these three festivals as part of the City of Tampere’s cultural services. The festival office is located in Tullikamari Cultural Centre.