The Estonian ensemble Estonian Percussion Group will perform at the Katrina Chamber Music Festival in Åland from 5-8 August. Founded in 1982, the Katrina Festival is one of Åland’s leading classical music events, bringing together internationally acclaimed musicians and chamber music artists each summer.
The ensemble’s main concert, “Konsten att vara bröder” (The Art of Being Brothers), will take place on 7 August at 12:00 at the Åland Art Museum. The programme features several works receiving their Åland premieres, including Arvo Pärt’s Fratres in an arrangement by Vambola Krigul, selections from Philip Glass’s Águas da Amazônia, and Marc Mellits’ percussion quintet Gravity. The concert will also feature Åland percussionist Kim Jansson and music inspired by the work of renowned Åland composer Jack Mattsson.
The performance will take place amidst the exhibition Silver Pillars by Finnish contemporary artist Markus Kåhre. A special highlight of the concert is Karl Johann Lattikas’s work V for five percussionists, composed in response to Kåhre’s installation.
In addition to their featured concert, members of Estonian Percussion Group will take part in several other festival performances:
- 5 August: Pavel Haas’s String Quartet No. 2 “Monkey Mountain” with the Avanti String Quartet.
- 6 August (morning concert): Kim Jansson’s Songs from Katrina, based on Jack Mattsson’s musical Katrina.
- 6 August (children’s concert): A percussion arrangement by Karl Johann Lattikas of the famous title song from the musical Pippi Longstocking by Ülo Vinter and Ülo Raudmäe.
- 6 August (evening concert): Arvo Pärt’s iconic Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten with the Katrina Festival Orchestra.
- 7 August: Performances of Philip Glass’s Prelude to the Endgame and Luboš Fišer’s Crux.
The ensemble’s participation in the Katrina Festival is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Estonian Chamber Music Association and the Katrina Cultural Association, launched in 2025 and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Photo: Kaupo Kikkas