A Composer's Diary

Tuesday, 12 March 2019

Djurens planet premiere this week!

The premiere week has arrived! Some sneak peeks from rehearsals at the Finnish National Opera. Welcome on Friday and Saturday! Libretto by Monica Vikström-Jokela, stage design by Anna Kontek, music (and all photos) by yours truly! Tickets available online here! Welcome! #djurensplanet

Rehearsals of Djurens planet. World premiere 15.3.2019!
Photo and music: Cecilia Damström

Saturday, 9 March 2019

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.

Friday, 8 March 2019

Happy Women's Day!

Happy Woman's Day to all great women out there!

Very happy Tampere Hall is arranging two wonderful concerts with music by so many wonderful composers!

March 10th Kaija Saariaho - La Passion de Simone

March 24th Minna Canth - Naisen Muotokuva (Music by Wennäkoski, Leinonen and yours truly)

In honour of today's festivity you get a discount of the concert tickets until Sunday March 10th given my Tampere Hall, by ordering from here!

Today as well is the world premiere of the movement Hjärteblad from the cycle Vidkänning composed to poems by Henrika Ringbom. Vidkänning is composed for and performed by Akademiska Damkören Linnea and conductor Merete Ellegaard in their concerts Ett stycke kvinnokamp.

Also super excited about that it's exactly ONE WEEK to the premiere of my school opera Djurens Planet at the Finnish National Opera! The premiere is already sold out but welcome on the 16th of March, or one of the 120 performances during the next 2 years all around Finland!

Last but not least; feeling huge gratitude about the great premiere of my piece "Epitaph" Ville Hautakangas played two days ago in Tampere Hall! But a whole post about that coming up!

Life is good!

Wednesday, 6 February 2019

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.

Monday, 28 January 2019

Talking about "Note" in Radio Vega

Last week's Friday I talked with Kike Bertell and Eva Kela about the etymology of the word "note" and random thoughts around that word in the radio channel Vega (a Swedish speaking channel) in the Finnish Radio. It was aired on yesterday (on Sunday) and is available until the 27th of February. Have a listen (in Swedish) under this link. And have a great week everyone!

Eva Kela, Kike Bertell and me at Radio Vega in the program "Ordet läcker"

Sunday, 20 January 2019

Piano Quintet Minna coming to Tampere

Was mentioned (at the very end) in this Sunday article by Helsingin Sanomat! My first Piano Quintet "Minna - Pictures from the Life of Minna Canth" will be performed by TampereRaw on March 24th in the Tampere Hall and will be broadcast by the Finnish Broadcasting Company! The concert also contains the work Hele by Lotta Wennäkoski and Naisen muotokuva by Minna Leinonen. Very much looking forward to the concert! And for Finnish speakers; here is a good chance to test which work by Minna Canth you could read in the meanwhile! Welcome!

Minna Canth, Minna Leinonen, me, Lotta Wennäkoski and conductor Maria Itkonen

Monday, 14 January 2019

Opera Rehearsals Have Begun

Rehearsals for my children opera "Djurens planet" have begun a week ago! Absolutely love the wonderful cast, the musicians, the director Martina Roos, the stage designer Anna Kontek, the children's choir, the story by Monica Vikström-Jokela, basically EVERYTHING about this project! All music by yours truly. (In this pic posing in the National Opera for Svenska Folkskolans Vänner's magazine.)

The premiere 15.3.19 is already sold out so be sure to book your tickets asap for one of the two remaining shows on Saturday the 16th of March at the National Opera!

Photo by Anna Kujala for @svenskafolkskolansvanner Magazine