FESTIVALTA is an international chamber music festival taking place in Alta, Northern-Norway, a long weekend mid-February every year. Alta, a small town situated well above the arctic circle, is famous for its salmon river, as the start&goal of Europe’s longest dog-sledding race and as a prime spot for experiencing the northern lights. Artistic director is the local-born, now Berlin-based violinist Miriam Helms Ålien, whose passion for chamber music, nature and community has inspired her to envision this festival combining the best of all worlds. Aiming to create a bridge between north and south, old and new, the festival seeks to provide concerts for everyone – whether seasoned hardcore fans or curious first-timers completely new to classical music. Nearly all the festivals 6-8 concerts take place in the town’s architectural jewel, the Northern Lights Cathedral, which seats 300-350 people at full capacity. Here, local neighbours and international guests gather to experience incredible performances at the highest level, presented in an authentic down to earth-atmosphere. The region’s incredible arctic nature provide further inspiration for both audience and artists – it is raw, honest and magical. The 2020 first edition of the festival was a huge success, earning superlative praise from audiences, artists and critics alike. Visiting artists included international guests like Alexander Sitkovetsky, Bruno Philippe, Eckart Runge, Dana Zemtsov, as well as Norway’s own Eivind Ringstad, Nils Mortensen and artistic director Ålien. In the coming years FESTIVALTA looks forward to welcoming artists including Jakob Koranyi, Tabea Zimmermann, Gidon Kremer, Pablo Barragan and Radovan Vlatkovic. The 2021 FESTIVALTA dates are 17th-21st of February and in 2022 the festival will take place from February 17th-20th.