No other individual has had such an impact on the international classical music scene than national hero Jean Sibelius.

Commencing in December last year, celebrations have been taking place in honour of the 150th anniversary of his birth. In the midst of these Ateneum Art Museum is currently exhibiting an extensive jubilee exhibition. Taking a closer look at the composer’s contacts with the art scene of his day, Sibelius and the World of Art is on display until 22 March.

DEDICATING itself to photographs and photographers who seek to make a difference on the world through their work, the inaugural Festival of Political Photography is on being exhibited at The Finnish Museum of Photography from 30 January until 12 April.

The largest Swedish-language newspaper in Finland, Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL), is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year in a variety of ways. Turning their gaze to events beyond the Finnish border, one of these is Impressions, an exhibition of press photographs accumulated from overseas reporting.

On display at the Amos Anderson Art Museum until 15 January, the exhibition focuses on the 10 years from 2004 to 2014. The decade is of particular importance as it exists as the first ten years of the paper’s switch from broadsheet format to becoming a tabloid, the first major newspaper in Finland to do so.

MANY a man has struggled to follow in his father’s footsteps, but what to do if your old man is a notorious crooner and renowned pants man, whose sexual conquests number in their thousands? Well, most of us haven’t had to live in such a lusty shadow, yet for Latin pop singer Enrique Iglesias the easiest way to get around it has been to do as daddy did.

GIVEN the distinct lack of light this time of year, people are heading to bed earlier, in the hope that when they wake up, the nightmare that is the eternal darkness of the Nordic winter may be over. Not just yet, I’m afraid. However, doing their best to ensure that all can get tucked into bed nice and early, Swedish duo First Aid Kit are appearing on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 December at Helsinki’s Savoy Theatre for a pair of gigs that kick off at the un-rock-god-like hour of 6 pm.