From today until Wednesday 27 May, students from the Chemnitz Municipal Music School's plucked string ensemble will be visiting the Oulu Conservatory in Oulu (Finland) with three teachers. After Chemnitz, Oulu is one of the European Capitals of Culture 2026. The aim of the exchange, entitled "COOGIE: Chemnitz - Oulu - Osijek - Guitar - International - Exchange", is to give young musicians the opportunity to make music together across national borders, gain new musical inspiration and get to know other cultures.
The exchange takes place with the support of the City of Chemnitz Capital of Culture Fund and the Oulu 2026 Capital of Culture Office as a return visit during Oulu's Capital of Culture year. Finnish guitar students already visited Chemnitz in September 2025. The focus was on getting to know each other and the city as well as rehearsing together. The highlight was the joint final concert on 6 September 2025 at the Chemnitz Industrial School.
During the return visit to Oulu, the students from Chemnitz can expect not only an intensive musical exchange but also a varied cultural programme with insights into Finnish life, culture and excursions into the countryside.
The highlight of the project will be a special joint symphony concert on Sunday 24 May in the "Madetoja Hall" of the Oulu Conservatory, the largest concert hall in Scandinavia. In addition to well-known symphonic works, the concert will also feature the guitar work "Winds" by Janko Rašeta, which was premiered in Chemnitz in September 2025. The final concert in Oulu will not only be the musical highlight of the encounter, but also a visible sign of the unifying power of music and the importance of international cultural cooperation between young people.
In addition to the Chemnitz students, music students from Leverkusen will also be travelling to Finland. On 6 June 2026, a Chemnitz guitar soloist from the Chemnitz Municipal Music School will travel to Leverkusen to present her guitar playing at a concert there.
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