Lahti Conservatory
The Home of Music in the Center of Lahti City
Looking for a motivating place to study music, with first class competence and lots of experience at your disposal?
That’s us!
International Relations
Director Jori Vuorinen
International Coordinator
Sirkku Lehti-Permanto
Website and Social Media
Founded in 1918, strongly in business in the 2020’s
We first planted our roots in the soil of the town of Lahti in 1940 when our music school Viipurin Musiikkiopisto relocated from Vyborg to this city.
As a noble oak tree we have grown big and strong and have become a sturdy and reliable backbone in the field of music education in the Lahti region.
We are proud of all our students and very happy that so many music professionals have started their musical journey with us. To mention a few contemporary practising musicians we can name for example conductors Jukka-Pekka Salonen and Santtu-Matias Rouvali, mezzo-soprano and Artistic Director of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet Lilli Paasikivi, leading violinists Elina Vähälä and Maaria Leino, and pop artists Laura Voutilainen and Diandra Flores.
Great learning outcomes require first class ingredients: students with talent, teachers with excellent pedagogical skills, and thereto, enthusiasm for music from all parties involved.
However, training professionals is not at all our sole mission. It is an honor to teach people to play and sing as their leisure time passion too. Anybody who is able to play music as a hobby can brighten up their own life and that of others with their skills.
Our study programs reach people in all age groups. We also have the full range of instruments to offer, in classical and pop-jazz genres alike. Folk music group lessons are also available.
Our three main educational departments are
Music Playschool
from 3-month old babies to 7 year olds
Children come to their playschool lesson once a week, babies accompanied by a parent. Groups are divided into age groups and also have several different themes.
Basic Music Education
Individual instrumental lessons for kids, youth and adults
Whatever your instrument is, you come to the conservatory for your private lessons once or twice a week.
Depending on your instrument you will have the opportunity to join an orchestra, a band, or some other adjustable ensemble to play and sing with others.
Music theory and solfége group lessons are offered and recommended to all our customers. The instrument lesson tuition fee covers these lessons too.
Vocational Studies
We offer vocational upper secondary level music education for students with a solid former basic education in their chosen instrument. The studies are open for ages 16 and up.
Our vocational music education leads to Vocational Qualification in Music. Most of our graduated students continue their studies at different polytechnics or at the Sibelius Academy, the music division of the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Our average total number of customers and students, 1000 people, is distributed between these departments as follows:
Orchestras, ensembles and bands for making great music together
There are moments in life when taking a solitary moment for making music in your own company is exactly what you want to do. However, there are more of those days in life when sharing your skills with others can bring out the real joy of music for you!
Our orchestras to join in
- LAHDEN NUORI SINFONIA (Symphony Orchestra)
periodic rehearsals for our vocational students and most advanced basic education students - UUSI LAHTI KAMARIORKESTERI String Chamber Orchestra
periodic rehearsals for most advanced string instrumentalists - FIOCCO String Chamber Orchestra
for mid-advanced string instrumentalists - TÄHTIJOUSET String Orchestra
for the youngest string instrumentalists - LAHDEN KONSERVATORION PUHALLINORKESTERI Concert Wind Band
for the most advanced wind instrumentalists
Plus three other wind orchestras for different study levels:
- YOUTH WIND BAND
- JUNIOR WIND BAND
- KIILTOMATO WIND BAND
Our pop-jazz bands are formed each study year among the available students, so new bands come and go frequently.
Classical singers, together with our advanced piano students, participate in Lied classes, which provide them with great opportunities for ensemble sessions and performances.
Our choir Laulun avain is open for free for all children taking instrumental lessons at our conservatory. The choir is a great opportunity to make music with others also for those whose instrument does not belong to the traditional orchestra instruments (piano, accordion, guitar, and many more).
Folk music bands welcome players of all instruments to their group sessions.
International Activities
Music is a world language, and we want to do our share to keep it alive!
Erasmus+ Projects – always something going on there!
Our vocational students have the privilege to apply to participate in our international student exchange program Music without Frontiers. Depending on changing project terms, some opportunities for teacher and staff exchange also occur.
Lahti Conservatory has been an active member in EU’s vocational student exchange programs since 2005. We operate with our foreign partners reciprocally, so during the past years we have not only sent students abroad but have also received tens of students to study periods in Lahti.
Running and leading projects requires resources and volumes of students, which small organizations do not necessarily have on their own. In Finland, for our Erasmus+ Projects, we are networking with two other conservatories. This gives us the advantage of an adequate number of vocational students to be involved in our projects.
Currently, our project leadership is in the hands of the Helsinki Conservatory of Music. The third member to our network is Joensuu Conservatory.
In Finland ERASMUS+ Projects are governed by the Finnish National Agency of Education.
Our current partners abroad are
- Funchal, Madeira, Portugal:
Conservatório – Escola Profissional das Artes da Madeira, Eng.º Luiz Peter Clode - Warsaw, Poland:
Karol Szymanowski Complex of State Music Schools No 4 - Toledo, Spain:
Conservatorio Profesional de Música Jacinto Guerrero
International Relations and Activities with Other Partners
We are always open to discuss opportunities to make new friends and receive and send visitors to music schools abroad.
If you have an idea in mind you wish to present to us for co-operation, please get in touch!