Strauss Concerts at the Finlandia Hall on Epiphany Day

The Strauss Concerts invite you to a sparkling welcome to the New Year – a beloved tradition that spreads festive atmosphere and elegance.
For more than a quarter of a century, these concerts have taken audiences to Vienna’s magnificent 19th and early 20th century balls, and the upcoming concert is no exception.

The Lohja City Orchestra, reinforced by young talents from the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, will perform the most beloved melodies of the Strauss dynasty under the direction of the charismatic maestro Atso Almila.
The concert will also stage internationally renowned opera singers from Finland and South Africa who interpret the music with passion and virtuosity.

Atso Almila

Atso Almila is one of Finland’s most versatile conductors, composers and teachers. He has a long and successful career spanning both opera and orchestral repertoire and is known for his warm audience contact and inspiring conducting style.
Almila has worked with, among others, the Finnish National Opera, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and several large regional orchestras and operas.
As a composer, he has created everything from orchestral works and chamber music to opera. He is known as a prolific composer and trombonist.
Almila worked as a professor of orchestral conducting and orchestral education at the Sibelius Academy from 2013 to 2019. He currently conducts visiting conductors and gives master classes in Finland and around the world.

Aubrey Lodewyk, baritone

The South African baritone Aubrey Lodewyk appeared in the role of Mandela in the Mandela Trilogy in 2011, which toured throughout South Africa and the UK, where he also made his European debut.
His performance was nominated for the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Musical Performance in 2011. He was also nominated for the prestigious Fleur de Cap Award for Best Performance in a Role in 2019.
In 2025, he performed in the Strauss Concerts and became a favorite with his voice and superb stage presence.

Hedvig Paulig, soprano

Hedvig Paulig, soprano, has graduated in singing from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and from The Royal Academy of Music in London (lied). In 2009, she won third prize at the Merikanto competition in Mäntyharju and in October 2011 she won the International Sibelius Vocal Competition.
Hedvig has performed at the Finnish National Opera, the Vaasa and Tampere operas, the Swedish Theatre and performed at the Helsinki Festival. She has sung with the various city orchestras in our country and performed various music from Sibelius to opera and operetta.
Her recurring assignments include the great church music works by Bach, Handel, Mozart and Mendelssohn and as an interpreter of Sibelius she has performed in Sweden, Norway, England and Israel.

Aarne Pelkonen, baritone

The Finnish baritone Aarne Pelkonen is one of the most sought-after opera and concert singers of his generation in Finland. He is as magnificent in baroque, contemporary music, opera and in chamber music.
His close collaboration with pianist Juho Alakärppä has lasted almost two decades. Their latest album, Schubert: Winterreise (2025), was considered a breakthrough in Finnish lied art.
After his debut at the Oldenburg Opera House, Pelkonen established himself at the Finnish National Opera, where he has sung the title role in Jaakko Kuusisto’s opera Jää (2019) and recently as the Boxer (horse) in Raskatov’s Animal farm (2025).
Pelkonen is also a highly regarded recording artist and enjoys collaborating across genre boundaries with leading Finnish musicians. His artistry is characterized by strong text interpretation, flexible voice treatment and a courageous repertoire.

Carmen Traut, soprano

Carmen Traut is a South African soprano celebrated for her silvery lyric voice and radiant stage presence. She began studying piano and violin at nine before focusing on opera, earning a Bachelor of Music at UCT Opera School in 2024.
In 2024 she won the Aviva Pelham Operetta Competition and in 2025 the Fine Music Radio Bursary Competition, also becoming a finalist at the Neues Lied Art Festival Cape Town.
She has performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at the Youth Classical Concert and was named a Young Artist of the Songmakers’ Guild in 2024 and 2025.
On stage she debuted as Adele in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus in 2025, with further concerts and gala appearances. Beyond the opera house she collaborates with ensembles in outreach projects, bringing music to diverse communities.

STAY AT HOTEL AX

In cooperation with the Strauss Concerts, Hotel AX offers accommodation for two at a special price of 100 € (normal price 135 €).
Reservations with the code STRAUSS at hotelax.fi