Oulu Sinfonia and Chief Conductor Rumon Gamba will shed light on the finest works of Oulu master composer Leevi Madetoja through a mini festival. Madetoja initially followed in the footsteps of Sibelius in developing the national melodic landscape but later took his own path towards French elegance. His powerful First Symphony (1916) is a deep look into Finnish National Romanticism. The first concert will also include the latest composition of the Oulu-born American Lara Poe’s song cycle to L. Onerva’s poems, a work jointly ordered by Oulu Sinfonia and Sinfonia Lahti for the autumn season.  The mezzo-soprano Virpi Räisänen, renowned across the world’s operatic stages, wows as the soloist for the premiere and the entire festival.