Dear friend of piano music,

Mänttä Music Festival once again invites you to immerse yourself in the magical world of piano music, surrounded by art and nature. This world-class concert series celebrates the diversity and richness of the piano repertoire.

The festival is a unique combination of international piano stars and top Finnish artists. During the evening concerts held in the elegant setting of the Kivijärvi Hall, you may immerse yourself in the musical worlds of renowned artists such as Kirill Gerstein, Imogen Cooper, Benjamin Grosvenor, Ingrid Fliter and Elisabeth Brauß.  At the daytime concerts, you will hear the musical visions of Juho Pohjonen, Risto-Matti Marin and Mariam Batsashvili. At the Youth Piano Academy's concert, Young Artists of the Festival, you may well spot the stars of the future.

Our aim is to bring together artists with strong and diverse personalities, whose playing styles and repertoire choices come together to create a unique and varied musical experience. The intimate setting of Serlachius provides the perfect backdrop for a piano festival.

As well as paid concerts, we offer a wide selection of free concerts in and around Mänttä. These include brief piano recitals at Serlachius, the Nordic Piano Academy's Festival Head Start concert at the Mänttä Club, organ recitals at Mänttä and Vilppula churches, and the Common Good for Everyone concerts at day care centres, care homes, and activity centres in the area.

The Mänttä Music Festival is so much more than just a festival. It is a meeting place where music brings people together and creates unforgettable moments. I warmly welcome you to the 2025 Mänttä Music Festival!

Niklas Pokki
Artistic Director

Niklas Pokki, Doctor of Music, is an internationally sought-after teacher of piano masterclasses, lecturer and piano competition judge. He has also conducted research in the fields of music pedagogy and music psychology. As a pianist, he has performed as a soloist with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, made numerous radio recordings and given the first performance of works by composers such as Jean Sibelius, Erkki Melartin, Kalevi Aho, Osmo-Tapio Räihälä and Tõnu Kõrvits. He is Head of the Piano Department at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts, and also directs the Younth Piano Academy, which trains talented young musicians.

Photo: Ville Lehvonen