Night of the Arts at the National Library: Fine art photography and choral music

Event Introduction

Night of the Arts at the National Library: Fine art photography and choral music

The National Library of Finland’s autumn events begin with the Night of the Arts on 14 August together with our cultural partners. The Cupola Hall will come alive with music performed by Lempikuoro, while the Rotunda floors will host the opening of photographic artist Milja Laurila’s exhibition. Lempikuoro will perform at 18.30 and 19.30. The library’s exhibition spaces will be open until 20.30.

Founded in autumn 2019 by seasoned singers and professional musicians, Helsinki-based Lempikuoro is a mixed choir under the direction of Julia Lainema. It has attracted attention both in Finland and abroad: it performed in the Sun & Sea opera at the 2020 Helsinki Festival. Then in spring 2022, it was awarded two gold stamps in the choral review at the Tampereen Sävel festival. This summer you can hear the choir’s distinctive sound in Piles of Things, an installation by Anna Estarriola, at Helsinki’s Amos Rex art museum. In September 2025 the choir will head to Latvia to compete in the prestigious International Baltic Sea Choir Competition. Lainema is an experienced and dedicated choral director. Alongside Lempikuoro, she is the artistic director of Ahjo Ensemble, Kaari Ensemble and Kamarikuoro Näsi.

At the National Library, Lempikuoro will perform a programme centred on works by the lesser-known Finland-Swedish composer Greta Dahlström. In contrast to these older compositions, the programme will also include more recent works from still active composer women, including the Swedish Josefine Lindstrand, the American Caroline Shaw and the Finnish Anna-Mari Kähärä.

On the Night of the Arts, an exhibition by photographic artist Milja Laurila will open at the National Library. In recent years, her artistic practice has moved towards writing, with exhibitions in Finland at venues including Photographic Gallery Hippolyte and Kunsthalle Helsinki, and internationally at the Paris Photo art fair, the Brooklyn Museum in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In the National Library exhibition, Laurila presents a collection of works combining image and text, situated between poetry, visual arts and conceptual art. Created through erasure, the works are based on old non-fiction books. They direct the viewer’s mind towards memory, time and history, as well as to what ultimately remains of all things. Ahead of the opening, Laurila will lead a workshop where you can try your hand at the techniques featured in the exhibition.

The opening of Laurila’s exhibition will begin at 18.15, with the workshop starting an hour earlier. Lempikuoro will perform in the Cupola Hall at 18.30 and 19.30. Also showing in the gallery all evening will be the exhibition Towards the Heights on the life of composer Erkki Melartin. You are welcome to explore both exhibitions on the Night of the Arts until 20.00.

Revamped call for cultural partners

Interested in showcasing your art at the National Library? Going forward, applications for cultural partners for our events and exhibitions will be invited twice a year. The next window, for the spring 2026 programme, is open from 1 to 21 October 2025.

More information about accessibility:

More information about accessibility is available here.

Categories

Gallery / museum, Inside, Photography, Music