"From 1000 Lakes to 100 Castles": Münsterland Festival part 12 presents music and culture from Finland

Vouchers for the festival days in autumn now available

Finland is at the centre of the Münsterland Festival part 12: Under the motto "From 1000 Lakes to 100 Castles", Münsterland e.V. invites you to music, art and dialogue with guests from the European North from 6 October to 5 November 2023.

"Together with top-class Finnish artists, we are exploring our region musically and culturally in a new way," explain artistic director Christine Sörries and festival director Lars Krolik. "To this end, we are staging the 'Land of 1000 Lakes' at particularly exciting locations in Münsterland." A total of almost 40 venues have been selected, including some of the more than 100 castles and palaces in Münsterland, but also places with history and buildings of modern architecture. For the first time, events will take place in Raesfeld Castle and in the Kunsthalle Burkamp in Haltern am See.

The list of artists is rich in well-known names: For the opening on 6 October, saxophone star Linda Fredriksson will play a concert at the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster - and jazz virtuoso Iiro Rantala will perform twice: on 7 October as the HEL Trio at the Haus Nottbeck cultural estate and on 2 November with the symphony orchestra at the Draiflessen Conference in Mettingen. The festival is also dedicated to traditional Finnish music in a modern guise, performed by the kantele player Maija Kauhanen on 14 October in the FARB Forum Altes Rathaus Borken. The varied programme also includes unusual excursions and art activities in the spirit of the Finnish way of life, such as the joint construction of a sauna with the artist Jan Philip Scheibe.

Those interested can immerse themselves in Finnish art in advance: From 20 August, the work of the artist Saara Ekström can be experienced in the Kolvenburg in Billerbeck. Her exhibition "Designing with Nature" includes photographs, video works, sculptures and drawings and runs until the Festival finale on 5 November.

The complete programme of the Münsterland Festival will be published in August, when advance ticket sales will also begin. Interested parties can pre-order the programme booklet online free of charge. And the gift voucher is already available - for loyal fans and all those who want to give others pleasure with cultural enjoyment in the region. The voucher can be purchased on the festival website. For everything you need to know, visit www.muensterland-festival.de.

Organisers & Sponsors

Organiser: Münsterland e.V.
Festival Director: Lars Krolik (Münsterland e.V.)
Artistic Director: Christine Sörries

Supporters: Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Regional Culture Programme NRW), districts of Münsterland (Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt and Warendorf), City of Münster, LWL Cultural Department, Finland Institute, Visit Finland, Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, Sparkasse Westmünsterland, Kreissparkasse Steinfurt, Hilde und Bode Crone-Stiftung, Stiftung Kunst und Kultur Münsterland, KulturStiftung Masthoff, Pianohaus Micke, reiseart, Münsterland Siegel, kultur.west (media partner), Westfalenspiegel (media partner), WDR 3 (cultural partner).

General information about the Münsterland Festival

Music, art and dialogues. The concept:

Every two years, for one month each autumn, the Münsterland Festival helps to overcome borders in Europe. With music, art and dialogue, the traditions and attitude to life of a European country or a particular region flow into the Münsterland - in the midst of the people. For that is the special conceptual aspect of the series of events that began in 2005. The extensive programme is not staged in the region's large event halls and museums, but in special, often somewhat smaller venues - in historic moated castles, former industrial wastelands, exhibition halls and art associations, selected concert halls or theatres.
The musical focus is on jazz, pop, folk and classical music and is complemented by a diverse range of exhibitions and excursions. The artists represent the cultural diversity and current trends of the respective host region - sometimes they are already internationally known, sometimes they are exciting newcomers. Exhibitions, excursions and other varied programme items expand the intensive examination of the culture of the host region, so that the Münsterland Festival makes its contribution to cosmopolitan cordiality and lived tolerance. At the same time, it invites you to discover the Münsterland and get to know it even better.