New York debut!

It's Monday and a new exciting week is here; including two performances of my opera Djurens planet, in Oulu and Viitasaari and my first piece ever played in the USA! My friend Matti Pulkki will give my solo accordion piece "Shapes" it's US premiere on Tuesday at 7:30 PM at ASF + Scandinavia House! He is also going to give a lecture about writing for accordion (also including talking about "Shapes") at the Manhattan School of Music on Thursday! Friends in New York, hope you can go! I would if I could!

Nostalgia Lane

Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy. Its pedagogy strives to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skills in an integrated and holistic manner. The cultivation of pupils' imagination and creativity is a central focus.

I'm very happy I was given the opportunity to go to a Steiner school for all my basic education 1995-2008. We did a lot of theatre and it's now 20 years ago that I wrote music to one of our first plays "Ronja Rövardotter", that time aged 11. I got the opportunity to paint, do wood work, internship on an organic farm, biology trip to Lapland, cultural class excursion to Portugal... to name only a few things during my 13 years.

But the best part was of course to be part of a idealistic school full of wonderful people whom I since then can call friends, real friends.

And idealism has stayed with me as much as with the Steiner school, so I was very happy to get the opportunity today to watch classes 5&6 from the Helsinki Steiner School perform "Djurens planet", a opera about treating animals and other humans well, at the Finnish National Opera. A lot of things change with time, but some things never do - let's keep trying to make this world a better place. ❤️

Photo by Marthe Veian

Djurens planet autumn 2019

Happy world opera day to everyone! After seven great performances of my third children opera "Vickan & Väinö" by Opera Box Helsinki it's time to head next week to The Finnish National Opera for more performances of my second children opera "Djurens planet"!

Photo by Heikki Tuuli

Most inspiring story of last week: my friend has a 2 year old daughter who saw my opera Djurens Planet last spring. The 2 year old daughter likes the scene of the dragon (which she calles "Kra Kra") so much that she wants to watch it everyday from an iPad! 😍 Hearing that makes me feel like my job does make a difference after all. ❤️

Photo by Heikki Tuuli

Djurens planet more performances coming up again in the following weeks!

29.10 at 6 PM, Children from Granhultsskola, at Almi Hall, The Finnish National Opera

30.10 at 6 PM, Children from Rudolf Steinerskolan i Helsingfors, at Almi Hall, The Finnish National Opera

31.10 at 6 PM, Children from Mårtendalsskola, at Almi Hall, The Finnish National Opera

1.11 at 6 PM, Children from Grännässkolan, at Almi Hall, The Finnish National Opera

4.11 at 6 PM, Children from Hyvinge svenska skola, at Almi Hall, The Finnish National Opera

5.11 at 6 PM, Children from Boxby skola, at Almi Hall, The Finnish National Opera

7.11 at 6 PM, Children from Mikaelsskolan, at Sigurd Snåre Salen, Ekenäs

12.11 at 6 PM, Children from Oulun normaalikoulu, at Oulun normaalikoulu, Koskela

14.11 at 6 PM, Children from Haapaniemenkoulu, at Haapaniemenkoulu, Viitasaari

19.11 at 6 PM, Children from Svenska samskolan i Tammerfors, at Svenska samskolan i Tammerfors, Tampere

21.11 at 6 PM, Children from Vatialan koulu, at Monitoimihalli, Kangasala

26.11 at 6 PM, Children from Björneborgs svenska samskola, at Björneborgs svenska samskola, Pori

28.11 at 6 PM, Children from Kristinestads skola, at Kristinestad

Photo by Heikki Tuuli

Debut at the Finnish National Opera

Debut at the Finnish National Opera done! What an incredible journey it has been! From being commissioned in February one year ago, seeing Monica Vikström-Jokela create a wonderful story about sustainability and animal right from the ideas by the children at Åshöjdens Musikklasser involved in the process, composing the 45 minute opera last autumn, seeing Anna Kontek create a whole own visual world for the opera together with lights by Vesa Pohjalainen and seeing Martina Roos work with each person on the cast for making them perfect in character on stage! Two intense weeks of stage rehearsals, an OUTSTANDING premiere and two performances! How empty life feels after this wonderful emotional journey! Looking so much forward to hearing more performances next autumn again! 

Damström: Djurens planet. Photo by Heikki Tuuli

THANK YOU everyone involved! It has been such a pleasure to work with everyone in the production and in the cast! Thank you Elli Vallinoja and Katariina Heikkilä for putting your heart in the role of the child Joy! Thank you Saara Kiiveri and Hedvig Paulig for finding your inner dog for making the dog Jack as real as possible on stage! Thank you Riku Pelo and Tiitus Ylipää for making each of your three roles with as much effort and ease! Thank you Anna Schultz and Anna Nora for supervising 43 children and teaching them a whole opera of music! Thank you Martin Segerstråle and Tuomas Juutilainen for correpetition as well as outstanding shows and together with Anna Nora conducting the whole show! Thank you Taavi Kiviranta and Otto Kentala for putting yourself into my music! Thank you all 43 children from Åshöjdens musikklasser for dedicated work! Thank you Timo Mokkila, Tero Riipi and Petri Peltovako for making all technique on stage work! 

Damström: Djurens planet. Photo by Heikki Tuuli

Thank you to all my friends and family who came and saw the show and shared this important experience with me! It meant so much to me to see so many familiar faces in the audience!

Damström: Djurens planet. Photo by Heikki Tuuli

Thank you to the sponsors who have been one of the main reasons this all happened in the first place: Föreningen Konstsamfundet, Svenska kulturfonden, Svenska kulturfonden i Björneborg, Stiftelsen Brita Maria Renlunds minne, Svenska folkskolans vänner and Stiftelsen Tre Smeder. Also a big thank you to all wonderful articles and radio programmes that have been written and made about Djurens planet!

Damström: Djurens planet. Photo by Heikki Tuuli

And last but not least: a big thank you to the Finnish National Opera for this enormous opportunity to write an opera for you! Thank you Tuula Jukola-Nuorteva, Lauri Pokkinen, Lilli Paasikivi and Gita Kadambi for your trust and support! It has been a pleasure!

Damström: Djurens planet. Photo by Heikki Tuuli

#DjurensPlanet

All photos by Heikki Tuuli