Epitaph Premiere!

Very happy with pianist Ville Hautakangas’ world premiere of my new piano solo piece Epitaph!

The premiere took place in Tampere Hall in the Small Auditorium. Before the concert composers Tuomas Turriago, Ilari Laakso and I, as well the star of the evening, Ville Hautakangas, were all interviewed by concert producer Suvi Leinonen at a pretalk session. We talked about our inspirations for our pieces, about how we compose, and our upcoming projects. The pretalk was well attended.

Pretalk at Tampere Hall. Suvi Leinonen, Ville Hautakangas, me and Ilari Laakso.
Photo by Lea Antola.

This was the program note for Epitaph:

Epitaph for piano solo is written for Ville Hautakangas and to commemorate our friend Jouni Kaipainen. Jouni was a particularly positive and intelligent personality. If you ever met Jouni and had the chance to talk with him, you won’t forget him. He was a very quick-witted man, and his knowledge didn’t only encompass music, but almost everything in this world, and it was so immense that you couldn't help but admire it. But this didn’t ever make Jouni snuffy, rather the contrary. He encouraged both young aspiring musicians and composers as well as colleagues more warm heartedly and genuinely than anyone else I know. His passing away one day before his birthday was a shock to me - the in my eyes, immortal Jouni was suddenly gone. He is not only missed as a prominent role model of Finnish cultural life, but above all as a friend.

The concert consisted of four world premieres;

Epitaph by Cecilia Damström

Häivä by Ilari Laakso

Somber by Tuomas Turriago

Inner by Matilda Seppälä

The concert was short and stylish, and very well attended. Light designer Ville Syrjä had made a separate light setting for each piece, which made up a beautiful entity.

Ville Hautakangas premiering my piece Epitaph at Tampere Hall 6.3.2019

It was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces in the audience, and so many people who also knew Jouni personally. The composition students from my former University TAMK as well as my former professor Doctor Hannu Pohjannoro were there along with other former study colleagues. Also the musicians from the ensemble Tampere Raw (who are also musicians in Tampere Philharmonic) were there, which was great.

We ended the lovely evening with delicious food and wine at the Tampere Hall restaurant Tuhto.

Tuomas Turriago, Ville Hautakangas and me after the concert 6.3.2019.
Photo by Lea Antola

Very much looking forward to share with you the video and sound recording by Tero Koski.

Epitaph in One Month

In exactly one month time on the 6th of March my piece "Epitaph" will get it's world premiere by pianist Ville Hautakangas at the Tampere Hall together with new pieces by Matilda Seppälä, Ilari Laakso and Tuomas Turriago. The concert is part of the event "In Focus Kaija Saariaho". Epitaph is composed in memory of composer Jouni Kaipainen, who was an friend of all of us six named above. Jouni was composer in residence at the Tampere Philharmonic, taught composition at Tampere University of Applied Sciences and played an enormous role in the Finnish cultural life. The concert pre-talk at 6 PM and the concert at 7 PM has no entry fee. Friends in Tampere, welcome!

Ville Hautakangas, Cecilia Damström, Ilari Laakso, Matilda Seppälä and Tuomas Turriago.

Proud of my Friends

Very happy and proud of my composer friends Jonne Valtonen and Roger Wanamo who this year both won the Pirkanmaa Cultural Prize for their lifework in orchestrating game music for symphony orchestras around the world (LSO, Tokyo Phil, Stockholm Phil etc)! And now they have also been invited by the president to his Independence Day Celebration in the Presidential Palace!

Roger Wanamo and Jonne Valtonen at the President's Independence Day Celebration 2018

Finland became independent 100 years ago and has grown from a poor country to one of the richest in the world, so we are quite proud and thankful of our independence and celebrate it in a respectful way. Every year the president of Finland organises a Independence Day Celebration in the Presidential Palace, where he invites the people he has met during the past year. Politicians and sports people are often invited but sadly cultural people and musicians are seen more and more rarely. The president shakes hands with every one of the around 2000 guests which are invited, and the official part of the party is broadcast on national TV and is the most watched program of the year! So to be one among the invited is a very big honour!

Very proud of my two friends, who were invited! And I think it’s quite ironic that the independent composition program at Tampere University was put down, officially due to that people didn’t get “employed” after graduating (but mainly due to money being cut in educational sectors), but people who have studied in Tampere have done better career wise and become more known in the world than maybe any other students in the whole Tampere University of Applied Sciences! I already mentioned Jonne’s and Roger’s enormous successes and also composers such as Paavo Korpijaakko have been commissioned by the Finnish RSO and Tampere Phil, composer Minna Leinonen is now doing her doctorate in composition (after studying in Tampere) and is making her living as a freelance composer, Jouni Bäckström has in addition to singing also composed a lot of new music and I’m also quite proud about having been commissioned by the Finnish National Opera before turning 30 and having signed with a publisher before having officially graduated from my masters.

My concerts 2017

This spring has already contained many great concerts, but as I update my blog (too) rarely, I’ll write all performances of my music (that I know of) here in one post. You are most welcome to come and listen if you happen to be in the region!

17.1 Konzertsaal, HMDK Stuttgart, Germany

Sydänlaulu played by Prof. Andra Darzins (viola)

Poster for the concert 17.1.17

6.2 at 7 PM - Pyynikkisali, Tampere Conservatory, Tampere

Summer Memories (13 min pianotrio) played by Elina Seppänen (violin), Jyri Häkkinen (cello) and me (piano)

Jyri Häkkinen (cello), me (piano) and Elina Seppänen (violin) after the
performance of my piece "Summer Memories" on the 6th of February 2017

9.3 at 6 PM - House of Nobility, Helsinki

Paradiso (4 min for wind orchestra) played by Aava Winds and conducted by Eero Lehtimäki


31.3 at 7 PM - Organo, Music Center, Helsinki

Shapes (16 min for accordion) got it’s Finnish premiere by Janne Valkeajoki as part of his Master’s Recital. Video coming up soon!

Janne Valkeajoki playing the Finnish first performance
of my piece "Shapes" at his Master's Recital
31st of March 2017. Photo © Cecilia Damström

11.4 at 7 PM - Pyynikkisali, Tampere Conservatory, Tampere
Characters (6 min for solo piano) will be performed by me, along side the first movement of  Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2 

14.4 at 3 PM - Heinola Church - Heinola

Via Crucis (22 min for string-quartet) will be performed by the Felis Quartet on Good Friday

19.4 at 12 PM - Pyynikkisali, Tampere Conservatory, Tampere
Characters (6 min) for solo piano will be performed by me as part of my Piano Bachelor’s Recital 

13.5 at 3 PM - Turku Concert Hall - Turku

World premiere of “Sailing to Windward” for male choir, performed by Brahe Djäknar conducted by Ulf Långbacka. Music by me and text by Michael Binnie

20.8 - Kokonainen Festival - Hämeenlinna

World premiere of my piano quintet "Minna"

25.8 at 8.30 PM - Tampering-Festival - Tampere
Shapes will be played by Janne Valkeajoki at Tampereen Ylioppilasteatteri

26.8 at 7 PM - Tampering-Festival - Tampere
Unborn (version for chamber orchestra) will be performed by the Tampering Ensemble and Maja Metelska in the Small Auditorium of Tampere Hall.

The next upcoming concerts:

12.10 at 7 PM - Finländska pinnar - Linköping, Sweden
At Teasdale's will be performed by Linköping Studentsångare, conducted by Christina Hörnell. Music by me and text by Sara Teasdale.

21.10 at 7 PM - Linköping Studentsångare's 45th Anniversary - Linköping, Sweden
At Teasdale's will be performed by Linköping Studentsångare, conducted by Christina Hörnell.


10.11 at 6 PM - Dumma Kungen - an opera for children - Kauniainen, Finland
My opera "Dumma Kungen", commissioned by Musikinstitutet Kungsvägen will get it's world premiere at Uusi Paviljonki in Kauniainen, Finland. Text by Monica Vikström-Jokela, directed by Seija Metsärinne and composed by yours truly. Performed by the students of Musikinstitutet Kungsvägen. The premiere is already sold out two month ahead!

Illustration by Nina Haiko

11.11 at 4PM and 6PM - Dumma Kungen - an fairytale opera for children - Kauniainen, Finland
Second and third performance of my fairytale opera Dumma Kungen.

11.11 at 6 PM - Jubilate Choir 50 years anniversary - Helsinki
World premiere of my "Missa Brevis", commissioned and performed by the Jubilate Choir for their 50 years anniversary, conducted by Edward Ananian-Cooper.

13.11 at 10AM and 12PM - Dumma Kungen - an opera for children - Kauniainen, Finland
Fourth and fifth performance of my fairytale opera Dumma Kungen. The performance at 10 AM has already sold out.

14.11 at 10AM and 12PM - Dumma Kungen - an opera for children - Kauniainen, Finland
Sixt and seventh (also last)  performance of my fairytale opera Dumma Kungen. The performance at 10 AM has already sold out.

Lied concert

This autumn I have taken part in the Lied seminar of Tampere University of Applied Sciences together with my lied partner, soprano Katarina Olkinuora. This seminar is part of my bachelor in piano. The theme of this autumn has been Nordic lied and we have all together had five 60 minute lessons together with the professors Ulla Raiskio and Risto Kyrö. Katarina and I have done lied by Grieg and it has been great fun! On Thursday the 24th of November 2016 we had the final concert for this course. We performed three songs in the Hiekka Art Museum (Hiekan taidemuseo). 

Singer Katarina Olkinuora and I before our lied concert 24.11.2016.

Short update about me

Sunday October 23rd 2016.

Short update about me: I decided to take an other gap year from my master studies (in composition) at Malmö Academy of Music. I'm living in Helsinki and working as a freelance composer. At the moment I have five commissions: three choral pieces, one opera for children and one accordion concerto. I'm also studying my last year piano pedagogy of my second bachelor at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Moreover I have started a new "hobby": musicology at Helsinki University. (And bought a gym card to Unisport as well, after an 8 years break of no sports! So proud of myself!) I'm also planning a super cool contemporary music festival for August 2017 with my friends from Tampering! 

My parents are now starting their "putkiremontti" (plumbing service) and are emptying their flat (with loads of my stuff in it). And soon (in November) I’ll also get a “putkiremontti” as well. Then (in January) I will move to a new flat (within Helsinki) and in September 2017 I will move back to Malmö to complete my masters in composition!

So if my friends don't see me during the next year or two I am either composing, practising piano, travelling by train to Tampere, sitting in a lecture of musicology, writing an essay, preparing for some exam, writing a grant application, doing yoga, or cleaning up some flat. 

So please don't be offended if I'm super terrible at answering messages and emails or just generally am a lousy friend, I'm sorry already!

Hope to see all my friends at my graduation, either in 2017 (piano, Tampere/Helsinki) or in 2018 (Master of Music, Malmö)! Until then, take care! 

Yours sincerely,

Cecilia xx

P.S. Also have some sunny days in sight: In December I’m going to Spain, as my new suite for accordion solo commissioned by Janne Valkeajoki will be premiered on his tour in northern Spain, which is super exciting!

Autumn 2015

January 5th 2016. After a hectic spring and summer 2016 I have tried to do some downshifting and this laid back autumn has been exactly what I needed! 

So what have I been up to? I decided to take a gap-year from Malmö Academy of Music, because I couldn’t cope anymore with studying two degrees in two countries (a bachelor of piano in Finland and Masters in composition in Sweden). So this autumn I have pursued  my piano pedagogue degree in Tampere University of Applied Sciences while living in Helsinki at my parents place (for saving on living costs) and working on my freelance composition work. This autumn I have been working on my orchestra piece Unborn (2012-2015) that will be premiered by Jyväskylä Sinfonia on the 13th of January 2016 and also composing a melodrama commissioned by John Storgårds for the festival Sång och musikfesten 2016 to be premiered on the 11th of June 2016 in Kokkola. 

In the beginning of the autumn I also produced one concert for the festival Ung Nordisk Musik together with my friend and composer Dante Thelestam. And in November I was 12 days in Malmö for taking part of and helping to organise the contemporary music festival “Connect 2015 - The Apocalypse” organised by the composition department of Malmö Academy of Music. So I have been more or less in one place the whole autumn, which has been a really nice and welcome change. More over I have begun to sleep about 8h per night, which has correlated with feeling better and being a bit less ill, but also is a part reason to less blog posts.

Hoping to write more about all the events in separate blog posts, so once again being positive (or maybe just unrealistic?) about being back soon with my next post!

Back to Blogging!

Hello again dear blog readers! It’s been a long break, but now I’m back, and better late than never! The main reason is for that I haven’t had time to write this blog is because I have tried to start sleeping again normal hours, which I didn’t do a year ago, when I was writing most actively. But I have actually got quite some few texts ”in store”, so over the next weeks there might come both text from last summer as well as what’s going on now! Be prepared!

I moved to Malmö last August and am currently studying my masters in composition at Malmö Academy of Music with Luca Francesconi and Staffan Storm as my compositions teachers and Kent Olofsson in electroacoustic composition. I share a flat with two Finnish girls and I really enjoy my life in Malmö! Many people have asked me what it’s like living in Sweden and if there are big differences between Finland and Sweden, so there will for sure be blog posts coming up about life in Sweden versus Finland.

Spring is crazy busy as always; I have finished a four minute piece for windband, that will be premiered on the 29th of May in Stockholm, a piece for piano solo that will be premiered on the 20th of May in Malmö (and on the 25th of May in Helsinki) and currently I’m writing a piece for flute and electronics that will be premiered on the 17th of May in Malmö. Still coming up (this spring) is a piece for flute and accordion for the Sysmä Suvisoitto-festival, a 10 min piece for brass ensemble for Blekinge International Brass Academy, a cello-sonata and half a chamber opera that will be premiered in Norway in the end of August this year! So please wish me luck in keeping all these deadlines!

But this week it’s Easter and I’m flying home to Finland for a week, partly because I’m actually currently also enrolled in Tampere University of Applied Sciences and am studying piano with Risto-Matti Marin, so I will have a two piano lessons, and partly because my string quartet “Via Crucis” will be premiered on Good Friday by the Felis-quartet in Siuntio church at 6 PM! Every one is warmly welcome to the premiere!

Our Graduation Party

Sunday the 29th of June my sister Jacintha and I celebrated our graduation! Both of us are now Bachelors of Music, she (in flute) after 3 years at the Sibelius Academy with 184 ECTS credits and I (in composition) after 6 years at Tampere University of Applied Sciences with 315 ECTS credits… Quite funny, isn’t it?

My sister Jacintha got her Bachelor of Music on the 18th of June, I'm so proud of her!
Photo © Cecilia Damström 

We had invited both friends and relatives, altogether over 100 people were invited and about 50 were able to come (but scattered all over the day). Our mother had baked lovely strawberry cakes and made lots of salad and other food for the guests. It was a really nice party, and I enjoyed both seeing lots of relatives whom I meet too seldom, as well as old school friends and getting to know Jacintha’s friends. The first guests arrived at about 3 PM (while I still was blow-drying my hair…) and the last guests left at about 4 or 5 AM. So once again a great party!

At our gradution party

Mum had baked lovely strawberry cakes.

Getting ready to serve sparking wine! Photo © C.Damström

Happy and proud parents! Thank you for all your support throughout the years!
Photo © Cecilia Damström

Grandmother with her newly graduated grandchildren, all in green!

Composing in Tampere

After midsummer I spent a few days in Tampere, trying to get my violin solo piece “Sydänlaulu” (Heartsong) ready for my friend Elisar Riddelin, as he will be performing it at our up-coming festival TampeRinging 2014 in August. But I am still quite exhausted from the spring so not much got done in the past days…

At the composition studio in Tampere... © C. Damström

Yet an other sunrise seen from the composition studio of Tampere. © C. Damström

Recapitulation of Spring 2014

Spring 2014 has been absolutely the most crazy and amazing spring so far in my composer career. Well, already if you consider that I have written 104 blog posts about what happened from the end of February until the beginning of June (so approximately during three month time), I guess that gives you some kind of picture HOW much has been going on… But in case you don’t have time to read all 104 blog posts, I will summarize last spring in one post, partly for my own sake.

So in January I broke up after four years in a relationship, which contributed to my decision to apply for masters in Sweden. I also participated in Vocal Espoo’s choral composition competition.

In February I got to know that both I and also our composer association Tampering had been given grants by the Finnish cultural trust foundation, which was great news!

In February my piece “Expressionen” was performed in Helsinki to a enthusiastic audience.

In March I travelled Tampere-Helsinki-Stockholm-Malmö-Copenhagen-Gothenburg-Stockholm-Helsinki-Tampere for entrance exams at three universities in Sweden (and one day sightseeing in Copenhagen), and got full points in the entrance exam at Malmö.

On the 14th of March I also made my Canadian début with my piece Loco for solo viola, which according to my friend, Canadian composer Paolo Griffin, wasreceived with standing ovations.

In the middle of March I also started writing this blog, A Composers Diary!

In the end of March I both produced and played my own piece Piano Delirium in the “Korvat Auki Tampere” concert in Pietiläsali, in the main library Metso in Tampere.

In April the music theatre production Buss Number 13 including 5 of my pieces, had three performances (and one pre-premiere) at the Tampere Hall, and the last performance was part of the contemporary music festival Tampere Biennale 2014. More over my pieces got a great review in the local newspaper Aamulehti.

In April I also participated in a conducting course, in which I conducted the orchestrated version of my own song cycle Dagbok, and the piece was premiered at the final concert of the course.

In the rest of April I worked as a producer for my own concert. I put together an orchestra, handed out 800 flyers in front of the Tampere Hall, contacted the radio station and two newspapers (which all three made interviews with me about the up coming concert, which was great for getting audience!) and led many of the rehearsals.

Suomen Työväen Musiikkiliitto offered me a publishing contract for my choral piece Kielikurssi for children's’ choir this spring and it will come out next winter!

On the 14th of May I had myfirst composers recital, with over 200 people in the audience and a good review in the daily newspaper Aamulehti. It included premieres of my choral works Visheten and Min Gud.

Moreover in May my piano solo piece Psychedelic was premiered at the composers concert in Tampere and my solo viola piece Loco was performed at the RRR!! Festival in Helsinki.


In addition to all above named I also have written my thesis and defended it, AND written a 10 minute piece for symphony orchestra (while sleeping 2 night on the floor of my school) and have passed my final exams for becoming a composer.

Finally my choral works El jardín de las morenas and Credo have been premiered at the VocalEspoo choral festival, have been awarded third and joint second prize and have been broadcast by the National Finnish Radio Company Yle.

I think I can call it a day. Or a spring, that is to say.

Living 36 hours in the Composition Studio!

Tuesday the 27th of May. All I can say is: I MADE IT! I managed to finish and hand in my 10 min orchestra piece Unborn!!! And I feel like every juice of energy that I ever had in me has been squeezed tightly tightly out, ever so thoroughly…

Title page of my piece Unborn for symphony orchestra.

So what happened after the 14h party? On Sunday 25th of May, after sleeping for 6 hours I got up again at 16 o’clock, ate lunch, went to evening mass then went home, picked up a blanket, food and everything I needed for composing and headed of to the composition studio. I arrived at about 20.30 o’clock and started composing. I had been invited to a party, I had even brought a dress in case I could make it there as well, but now the earnesty of the situation was catching in on me: I HAVE to get everything done within this month so that I can graduate next month, and I HAVE to graduate next month in case I want to begin with my masters at the Academy of Music in Malmö in September 2014! There will come several parties, but to graduate I have to do NOW! So I didn’t go anywhere else except for eating and toiled in the next 36 hours!

I composed the first night until from 20:30 until 5 AM, then spread out my blanket on the floor and slept for 2 hours. At 7 AM I had my alarm ringing again and composed until lunch. I had quite a long (2h) lunch break, then I continued composing all afternoon and night until 4 AM. The second night I slept 3 hours, again on the blanket on the floor. At 7 AM again my alarm rang, and I was still quite worried, I had only got 8:30 minutes so I had to write an other 3-4 minutes before the deadline at 14 o’clock. So I wrote and wrote, and decided to cut out some of the ostinato in the strings, and make a 10 minute piece in stead of a 12 minute piece. At 11 AM I finally was ready! I knew there were typos and mistakes and missing slurs, but at this point I have to say I didn’t care anymore. (There wasn’t any orchestra hungrily waiting for my piece anyway…)

So for comparison; here is a pic of the original drawings of my piece, dated 21.5.
© Cecilia Damström

And here is a pic of the score of the same part of the piece.
(See the glissandos and French horn cluster?)
© Cecilia Damström

So after 36 hours in the composition studio I was finally free to leave. It was very ironical, it was like if the time of the year had changed while I was those 36 hours in the studio. I had arrived in a summer dress and sandals, it had been +26°C, and now it was suddenly +10°C and hailing! I walked home on shaky legs (both of tiredness and cold, wearing sandals while it’s hailing isn’t my sport…), showered and changed to some warmer clothes, headed to the main building for printing the score and having lunch, and then headed off for the final hour of doom, my composition class with Hannu Pohjannoro.

I can’t describe how proud and happy I was, despite the exhaustion, when I lay down the score of Unborn infront of Pohjannoro. He looked at the schore, listened to the midi of the Sibelius file and looked at the score again. I could see relief in his face, which made me very happy. After a long silence he finally said: “The piece works. There are still a few small things that should be corrected, but the piece in it’s entirety works. Congratulations on that. For being honest; I was very worried and wondered how on earth you would manage to get the piece ready on time, I didn’t think it was possible. But your choice to start over again (with the dialogue) was good, the new material you have worked much better than your previous material. Sometimes you just have to have the courage and throw everything away, even at a late stage, so it was good that you did that. Oh well, I guess this was it, this was our last lesson.”

This news struck me with surprise, I hadn’t even thought this far! But yes, it’s the end of May, of course this was my last lesson! But I told him I will be back, for private lessons, so this is not our last lesson. I will be back, as they say...

A little bit of this and that…

Thursday the 22nd of May 2014. This week has been filled with a little bit of this and that and a lot of composing. On Monday I applied (of course on the deadline day) for the comprovisation course at the contemporary music festival Time of Music in Viitasaari (Finland). The rest of the day I only used for composing my orchestra piece “Unborn” which has to be finished by the end of this month.

Tuesday morning I wrote a small test for my thesis (to prove I’m the actual author), then voted in the EU elections, composed the whole day and took quite a late train back to Helsinki.

On Wednesday I had to go to the “sailors doctor” for a regular check-up for getting the “sailors health certificate” so that I can work on board for the next two years. You have to book the time to the sailors doctor about two to three month ahead, and you can’t work on a ship without having a valid certificate, so that’s why I had to do it this week although I’m supper busy with graduating right now…

After the check up I took directly a train back to Tampere and headed for my one of my last composition lessons with my teacher Hannu Pohjannoro. It was quite a depressing and stressful lesson. First of all, he told me the deadline for my composition “exam” (returning all the pieces that will be evaluated as my exam), is next Tuesday the 27th of May, so in 6 days time.

I have been working on (=planning in my head) my orchestral piece “Unborn” for about 3 years now. It is basically going to be a string ostinato (= patterns that stay the same throughout the piece) with a dialogue between woodwinds and brass on top of the ostinato. This dialogue I have begun to write about three times so far and on my lesson I had only about 4 minutes dialogue written out of 12 minutes music planned. Not only did I notice my teachers undertone that he didn’t believe I would ever be able to get the piece ready by the deadline, but I also noticed that he didn’t seem to be sure if the material I had would be enough to fill a 12 minute piece.

Well, after this depressing encounter I went home and dropped of my bags, ate, and headed to listen to my friend Annuska Hannula’s final exam concert in theatre music at Kulttuuriravintola Kivi, and she did absolutely great. I tried to leave a bit early, because more or less at the same time it was the final exam concert of my singer friend Tiitus Ylipää, in which the piece “The Voice” by my friend Matilda Seppälä’s was premiered. I ran all the way from Annuska’s concert to Tiitus’ concert, but by the time I arrived I could hear the final applause, so sadly I heard nothing of that concert.

Eero Kiukkonen, Annuska Hannula and Vera Veiskola 21.5.2014.
© Cecilia Damström

The whole Thursday I spent writing, about 4 or 5  hours in the day and the same amount at night again. In between I went and listened to the “Young soloist concert”, where many of my friends (like trombonist Roosa Lampela, violinist Riikka Alakärppä, percussionists Henri Sakki and Ville Koppanen and pianist Lotta Penttilä) got to play one movement or a short piece as the soloist of the Tampere Philharmonic! The audience in the Tampere Hall consisted this night mainly of friends and relatives of the soloists so the ambience was really great; warm and encouraging.

After this I headed to the composition studio where I spent the next 7 hours (until 4 AM) writing my orchestra piece “Unborn”.  And as crazy as it might sound; I began a fourth and final time from the beginning with writing the dialogue between woodwinds and brass! Yep, quite crazy to do that 6 days before the deadline, but I agreed with my teacher and felt like my material wasn’t quite good enough for making a 12 min piece.

Review of My Concert in Aamulehti

Review in Aamulehti 16 May 2014.

Translation of the review:

Sensitive atmospheres

Music
Cecilia Damström’s compositions concert
***
Pyynikkisali 14.5 
The first concert of the young and promising composer Cecilia Damström, was characterized by a wonderful positive atmosphere filled with smiles, which isn’t quite the standard within the field of contemporary music.

Damström has a genuine ability to touch the listeners, although at times her compositional technique leaves a slightly unfinished and naivistic impression (especially in the piece Flying High).

The music she has composed so far is carried by soft harmonies, romantically spiced ambience and by melodicnes. Richer rhythmic and more dramatic power remains still to be wised for.

The theme of the consert Landet som icke är (The Land Which Is Not), is also her break through piece, in which the music, just as the language of Edit Södergran, keeps moving forward by the yearning for an other world. The bilingual mirroring of the sensitive texts generates a tension that easily keeps the piece together.

Damström had an opportunity to sink into her personal feelings with her piece Dagbok, in which the aphoristic poems also are a proof the composers verbal talents. The sister of the composer Jacintha Damström interpreted the small songs touchingly with her expressive soprano voice. In the second half of the concert the chamber choir Näsin Ääni sang three choral works while conducted by Markus Yli-Jokipii. The multi-lingual Han som du älskar finns inte mer (The man you love doesn’t exist anymore) was the most interesting and varying of these works.

The new choral premieres Visheten and Min Gud (for mixed choir) were slightly squat due to their seriousness, even though they are very idiomatic choral music.

Harri Hautala (free translation by Cecilia Damström)