In the wake of Nightwish’s popularity, the cultural event Kimaf was born in Kitee. It grew into a diverse cultural event, including seminars.
Karjalainen is a professor at the Sibelius Academy and a researcher at Aalto University. He is one of the organisers of the seminar.
Dimov is the man behind Kimaf. For several years, Kimaf has provided fantastic concerts, with Nightwish fans from all over the world performing for the crystalline audience.
The first Kimaf was organised in 2013. Year on year, its content has expanded, including seminars.
Melancholy even in metal music
The impact of Corona has also been seen in the organization of Kimaf. However, in the darkness of October, a seminar will be organized where six lecturers will present their own perspective on the theme of the seminar \”Darkness made in Finland\”.
– We are trying to take a fairly free approach to mapping Finnishness, and how it manifests itself in the field of art and especially in music. We are thinking about the theme of darkness, melancholy and all those stereotypical Finnish features that all seem to manifest in art, even without wanting to, says Karjalainen.
Eastern Finnish melakol can also be heard in metal music, both Dimov and Karjalainen judge.
– Tuomaks strongest songs are minor tunes, says Dimov.
– Melancholy, forest-likeness and relationship with nature can be heard most in the lyrics of Eastern Finnish bands, says Karjalainen.
Fan meeting planned
Both men admire the Nightwish show that Kitee finally got. Organizing the exhibition space required years of work and ball-playing among the city’s various operators.
Plamen Dimov, on the other hand, emphasizes that, in addition to the fact that Nightwish is a very well-respected band by all measures, it is also an export product. The Karelian is shocked and amazed at how a small rural town in North Karelia can become a band of that caliber.
Plamen Dimov already has plans for next year. There will be a big fan meeting.
– Kimaf has a new face and a new idea. The purpose is to organize a Nightwish fan meeting in 2023. We will try to bring as many Nightwish fans to Kitee in July-August as we can accommodate, he says.