Aura Sinfonia

The symphony orchestra Aura Sinfonia of Turku Conservatory and the Puolalanmäki upper secondary school operates periodically once a semester. The orchestra is led by Olli Vartiainen.

Aura Sinfonia was established in 2021 and it has since had five concerts. Orchestra activities that cross the boundaries between vocational education and general upper secondary education are rare in Finland. Olli Vartiainen, who leads the orchestra, describes the cooperation as exceptional and exemplary.

We have seen various forms of cooperation in Aura Sinfonia’s periods. The training weekend before the spring 2024 concert was also a conductor course organised by Atso Almila together with Pirkanmaa Pinna ry.

Conductor Olli Vartiainen from Aura Sinfonia has defended his doctoral dissertation in orchestra management and student orchestra activities. Vartiainen has led student orchestras in France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Austria, Russia and the Faroe Islands.

You can find Aura Sinfonia’s schedule and training locations for the school year 2024–2025 here (in Finnish). The linked document will be updated if there are any changes.

The students of Turku Conservatory also participate, to varying degrees, in the orchestra periods of Sigyn Sinfonietta which are three per each school year. Sigyn Sinfonietta is a symphony orchestra maintained by the degree programme in music of the Arts Academy at the Turku University of Applied Sciences.