Traditionally, early twentieth-century Vyborg was renowned for its vibrant cosmopolitanism and bustling cultural life in the Grand Duchy of Finland, which became independent from Russia in 1917. In addition to the city's Finnish-and Swedish-speaking populations, its numerous ethnic, religious, and cultural minorities-such as its Russian, German, and Jewish populations-as well as the hotchpotch of languages spoken in its streets contributed to Vyborg's reputation as one of Finland's most international cities. At the turn of the twentieth century, after Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere, Vyborg was the fourth largest city in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland ruled by the Russian Emperor, with 23,923 inhabitants. 1 In addition, the close connections with the nearby metropolis of Saint Petersburg, and Vyborg's geographical position as a border town gave a unique flair to the city's atmosphere, both before and after Finland gained its independence in 1917. However, as Vyborg was lost to the USSR troops in World War II, nostalgic and nationally idealized undertones made an imprint on the city's postwar memorialization in Finland. 2 Inspired by cultural history research on Vyborg, which has become more common in recent years, our chapter aims to subject this nostalgic mental image to a close critical reading based on contemporary source materials. 3 The historical evidence suggests that Vyborg's musical life was indeed cosmopolitan in nature. 4 In addition to the multicultural demography of Vyborg and its central location between Stockholm and Saint Petersburg, performers and ensembles from other parts of Europe and the Russian Empire were an everyday occurrence in the city.In this chapter, we aim to shed light on visiting professional musicians' contribution to Vyborg's cosmopolitanism by covering a group of foreign orchestras, soloists, and restaurant entertainers. Who were these performers and where did they come from? What types of repertoires did they have, and who attended their concerts? In order to find answers to these questions, our approach aims at combining a micro-historical perspective with the analysis of transnational cultural networks as described by Steven Vertovec. According to Vertovec, the analysis of transnational cultural networks focuses on the "on-going exchanges among nongovernmental actors across national borders, as well as the collective attributes of such connections, their processes of formation and maintenance, and their wider implications." 5 As Saijaleena Rantanen and Vesa Kurkela have noted, the transnational perspective creates an opportunity to understand the complex, multicultural, and mediated forms of musical