Before Oulu Music Festival was established, a yearly music festival called Madetoja week was organized in Oulu from 1984 to 1990. The festival was inspired by Madetoja Hall, a new concert hall opened 1983 and named after composer Leevi Madetoja.
During the history of Madetoja week, there were dozens of concerts, mostly classical music, but also jazz, and the festival brought several international guests to Oulu, both to perform in concerts and to participate in the international Tulindberg string quartet competition, that was organized as part of the festival week.