Anniversary of Letters!

Exactly one year ago my second string quartet "Letters" was premiered by the amazing Brodsky Quartet at the wonderful Stift International Music Festival in Holland! Thank you once again Daniel Rowland - violin for this amazing commission and opportunity!

Since then Letters has been performed by Lapland String Quartet and at the festivals such as Musik vid havet / Meri ja musiikki (Music by the Sea, Inkoo), Kokonainen (Janakkala) and last week twice at the Tampering Festival (Tampere).

The version by Tampering ensemble is in Aamulehti's live stream available for subscribers until Friday. But I now share with you this video of last years world premiere by the Brodsky Quartet available for everyone! Hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/NN4ownAeCOo

TampeRinging 2015 - The Programme

The Programme of the contemporary music festival TampeRinging 2015 organised by the composer association Tampering ry.

Thursday 20.8.

19:00

Opening concert of the festival: Secrets & Scandals

Tampering Ensemble conducted by Okko Kivikataja

Pyynikkisali, F.E Sillanpään katu 9

Matilda Seppälä: and the vines with theirtender grape (2014)

Ilkka Hammo: Seeking flow (world premiere)

Jouni Kaipainen: Gena (1988)

Tero Lanu: Birds Are Great Escape Artists (world premiere)

Jami Kianto: Absentiikka (world premiere)

Arnold Schönberg: Kamarisinfonia nro. 1 E-duuri, Op. 9 (1906-7)

21:00

Etkot (The Pre-Party)

Telakka, Tullikamariaukio 3

Philippe Geiss: Sax hero - Suvi Linnovaara, saxophone

Cecilia Damström: Groove op. 38 - JanneValkeajoki, accordion; Jacintha Damström, flute

Sauli Zinovjev: Arco - Elisar Riddelin, violin

Timo Kittilä: Harmonikkasonatiini - Pasi Raukola, accordion

Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata for two violins - Amelie Wünsche, violin; Veera Hölsö, violin

Sampo Haapamäki: Power - Janne Valkeajoki, accordion

Magnus Lindberg: Jeux d'anches - JanneValkeajoki, accordion

Friday 21.8.

13:00

Improvisation workshop with Oxke Fixu

Keltainen talo, Vellamonkatu 1

19:00

Suvi Linnovaaran Saxophone Recital: Créations

Ylioppilasteatteri, Itsenäisyydenkatu 12

Cecilia Damström: Dorfman trio op.33 (2014): I Lost II Lonely III Forward (Finnish premiere)

Matti Carter: Waves (world premiere)

Annika Granlund: Viikon lopusta (world premiere): I Sunnuntai II Lauantai III Perjantai

Paolo Griffin: Deflection (world premiere)

Jacob TV: Grab it! (1999)

21:00

Tampering-klubi:

Oxke Fixu (FR)

Mikkoman

Telakka, Tullikamariaukio 3

Saturday 22.8.

12:00

Chamber Music Concert: L'après-midi d'un tétras

Pietiläsali, Main Library Metso

Cecilia Damström: Expressionen, op. 27 - Lukas Stasevskij, cello Janne Valkeajoki, accordion Helmi Malmgren, clarinet

Sauli Zinovjev: Arco - Elisar Riddelin, violin

Elisar Riddelin: Minne on mennyt - Hanna Kronqvist, soprano Tuomas Honkkila, piano

Cecilia Damström: Characters, op. 37 - CeciliaDamström, piano

Jami Kianto: Kolme laulua - Maija Halme, soprano Tuomas Salokangas, piano

Roope Mäenpää: String Quartet Nr 2 - TEMA-kvartetti: Lotta Laaksonen, violin Emma Kuosmanen, violin Marjukka Manner, viola Aino Palosaari, cello

14:00

Lauluyhtye Fiori

Pietiläsali, Main Library Metso

Tero Lanu: Herbaario: 1. Leskenlehti 2. Punakoiso 3. Sinikello 4. Harmaaröyhelö 5. Valkolehdokki (world premiere)

Cecilia Damström: Estampas del mar: 1. Nocturno 2. El mar 3. Dos estrellas del mar (world premiere)

Makedonian folk song, arranged by Michael Parsons: Nani Mi Mariče

Romanian folk song, arranged by Michael Parsons: Auzi, Mîndro

Pekka Kostiainen: Merkillinen mies

Cecilia Damström: El jardín de las morenas: 1. Pórtico 2. Acacia 3. Encuentro 4. Limonar

Pekka Kostiainen: Peipposen pesä: 1. Pitkittyi moni yö 2. Peipposen pesä 3. Kesä irtoaa

Janne Salmenkangas: Kuningattaren ääni: 1. Tämä on lauma 2. Kuningattaren selkä 3. Yksi pieni valkoinen lehmä 4. Elisabet, Emilia (world premiere)

19:00

Caprico Orchestra conducted by Elisar Riddelin

Alexander Church

Matilda Seppälä: Aaltoja joista kirkkaus sarastaa (world premiere)

Ilkka Hammo: Fall Folliage (world premiere)

Timo Kittilä: Towards the Delta - Maija Anttila, bass clarinet (world premiere)

Paavo Korpijaakko: Nebula - Concerto for guitar, Lotta Kosola, guitar

Cecilia Damström: Infirmus (world premiere)

Elisar Riddelin: Ja kun muinaiset katosivat -Concerto for cello and strings, Sirja Nironen, cello (world premiere)

Henri Sokka: Silence Fiction (world premiere)

Sunday 23.8.

19:00

Esa Toivolan Organ Recital

Tampere Cathedral

Torsten Stenius (1918–1964): Partita över en finländsk andlig koral

Timo Kittilä: Preludi Meditaatio Musica dopo il Credo

Pauli Marttinen: Briaɥsklárs (world premiere)

Edgar Arro (1911–1978): Kolme virolaista kansansävelmää

Lasse Kallioniemi: Organic Metal (world premiere)

Naji Hakim (s. 1955): Mariales (1993)1. Incantation (Mater admirabilis) 2. Pastorale (Regina cœli) 3. Antienne (Salve regina) 4. Hymne (Virgo Dei genitrix) 5. Danse (Ave maris stella)

Timo Kittilä: Toccata (world premiere)

Music for String Orchestra

Saturday 11th of July. Sitting at my parents summer cottage and composing my new piece for string orchestra. It will be premiered by the Caprico Orchestra, conducted by Elisar Riddelin, on the 22nd of August at the contemporary music festival TampeRinging 2015. I have written about 5:30 minutes so far, and now trying to come up with something nice to end the whole piece, which I plan to be about 7 minutes. The whole piece is very much inspired by the Polish composers Witold Lutowslawski and Krzysztof Penderecki, so I will share below some of the music I have been listening to lately.

Lutoslawski’s String Quartet

Lutoslawski’s Third Symphony (one of my all time favorites, also used in the film Shutter Island)

All time classic (in contemporary music): Penderecki Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima

And today’s new discovery (suggested by YouTube! Actually I must say I'm quite impressed  by YouTube for finding this for me):

The Finnish composer Sampo Haapamäki’s accordion concerto Velinikka

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.

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)

My Recital - Landet Som Icke Är

Wednesday the 14th of May. Today is finally the concert, TODAY IS THE DAY! I can’t believe it is finally here, the day I have been working so hard for so many months, it is here NOW!

There were still so many things left to do: I was writing the speaks for the concert hostess, my friend Meerika Ahlqvist, because I want this to be a trip to the Land Which Is Not, and she will be the guide.

She came by, also for trying on my evening dresses (as I now have several), for finding a suitable one for herself as well, because her own one ripped recently. Luckily we are about the same size, so the purple evening dress suited her perfectly!

The whole morning I would every now and then receive a mail from Tarja Reijonen, who was doing the layout of my concert programme, asking me what she  maybe could cut out, so that the programme would altogether fit onto 20 pages in the A5 format. By cutting out the English résumés of the artists (and only keeping the Finnish ones) we managed to save space. She did an absolutely wonderful job with the programme!

Then it was time to shower and do hair and make up, an other 2 hour project, because I want to curl my hair today… On the way to school I passed by the kiosk for buying today's issue of  Hufvudstadsbladet, the first kiosk had already sold their only copy but in the second kiosk I managed to get hold of a copy.

The interview in Huvudstadsbladet 14.5.2014.

At 15.30 I arrived at Tampere Conservatory. I was carrying an enormous and fully stuffed backpack and in addition to that a big plastic bag on each arm. I had brought the two evening dresses, my sound card, cables, make up, extra scarves and accessories if people in the orchestra had forgot to bring some (the dress code was black evening dress and a colorful accessory).

As soon as the venue was available, the music technician Petrus Tuisku and I at once headed in. He started putting together his microphones while I was trying to plan the lights. I had tried to get a light designer from our school, but they were all too busy and booked out so no one could come at the end, so there I was sitting and doing it my self. I wrote down every combination into the ready and neatly printed programme booklet.

My sister Jacintha arrived shortly after 16 o’clock. She will both be playing the flute in “Der Wald” and “Die Berge” and after that she will sing solo with the orchestra in my song cycle “Dagbok”. By the time she arrived nothing had yet been set up, so we didn’t have time to try out the flute and electronic pieces before the members of the orchestra already started to arrive.

The orchestra rehearsal went fine and I continued testing the lights, because I didn’t want a plain boring stage lighting, but on the other hand the musicians must also see the music sheets they are playing…

After the rehearsal we continued to try to get the electronics to work, but they weren’t working… It was only coming out as stereo, and not as quadraphonic as it was supposed to do, but we were not sure if the problem was with the soundcard, my patch, or simply the cables… It was absolutely awful, and at 18.50 (ten minutes before the concert) my sister announced she didn’t want to try anymore, she had to go and change. Petrus and I tried to fix it for another five minutes, but finally we had to give up and decided to do it “double stereo” instead (=stereo coming from both in front and behind instead of 4 different channels).

After this I ran out from the venue into the hall; I needed to find my father. But the hall in front of the venue was packed! Packed with people I didn’t know, and I wasn’t even wearing my concert dress yet at 18.56! I ran back into the concert venue, and out through the other door into the hall again, and then I spotted my father. I ran to him, took his hand and said “I need your help” while I dragged him into the venue. I dragged him to the light table, where I had left the programme in which I had written which lights are supposed to be used in each piece. I explained to him quickly how it worked and ran backstage again. Now the audience was starting to flow into the concert venue. I ran to the dressing room, and pulled my evening dress over me as fast as I ever could and changed shoes. No time to check the mirror this time.

At about 19:05 the concert started. Meerika Ahlqvist wished everyone welcome (in Finnish, Swedish and English) to the trip to the Land Which Is Not and told them she would be the travel guide of the trip (but only in Finnish). The theme for this concert is my vocal music and other music that uses voice. Ironically there is also the theme of death and God very much present as well, in all except one piece (my song cycle Dagbok).

The concert programme was:

DIE BERGE (2010) Op.13 Nr. 1

DER WALD (2011)  Op.13 Nr. 2

Jacintha Damström flute

Cecilia Damström electronics

FLYING HIGH (2012) Op.22

Piia Rytkönen song and jouhikko, Jenni Halonen flute, Heikki Pöyhönen oboe, Andreas Heino clarinet and bass-clarinet, Taina Raittila cello

LANDETSOM ICKE ÄR (2009) Op. 12

Text: Edit Södergran

Anna Ranki soprano, Julius Martikainen baritone, Tatuarttu Ruponen violin , Emma Kuosmanen violin, Elisa Kallasjoki viola, Aino Palosaari cello, Roope Mäenpää double bass, Mari Pakarinen trumpet, Henri Sakki percussion

DAGBOK (2011, 2013) Op. 21

Text: Cecilia Damström

Jacintha Damström soprano, Tuomas Turriago conductor

Dagbok-orchestra

-intermission-

VISHETEN  (2013) Op. 29 premiere

HAN SOM DU ÄLSKAR FINNS INTE MER (2008) Op. 7

MIN GUD (2010/2014) Op. 16 premiere

I. Min Gud

II. Rädda Mig

III. Ty Han Grep In

Conducted by Markus Yli-Jokipii

Chamber choir Näsin Ääni

It was time for the first pieces, flute and electronics, Die Berge. We haven’t had a single proper “run though”, so the possibilities for a catastrophe are enormous. And already at the very beginning an undesired sound of feedback starts to occur. I intuitively turn down the volume. I think Petrus does it as well, but there is no way I can know now what is happening up at the mixer table where he is, while I am on stage. After the first risky incident we keep the volume slightly lower throughout the pieces, but on the whole the pieces go well. A great stone fell from my heart!

Jacintha and Cecilia Damström 14.5.2014.
Photo by Tuomo Kallioniemi

Jacintha and Cecilia Damström after "Die Berge" and "Der Wald" 14.5.2014.
Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

But the concert isn’t close to over. Next I go up on stage with the quintet for Flying high. That piece goes quite well, although not as well as in the final rehearsal, but anyway, it’s okay.

Piia Rytkönen, Jenni Halonen, Cecilia Damström, (Heikki Pöyhönen out of sight
behin Cecilia), Andreas Heino and Taina Raittila 14.5.2014.
Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

After that I remember I have forgot the sheet of Landet som icke är in the dressing room, so I run with my high heels and evening gown to fetch it, praying to God I won’t trip, and luckily I don’t.

Landet som icke är starts very well, but at some point in the middle some of the players start to slow down the triplets so much that others have to come in wrong and I even stop to conduct for a few measures because I’m quite lost. But luckily we all get together again and make it to the end. When you are as nervous as I was at this point you somehow only seem to think about survival; what went wrong? How can I fix it? Everything that didn’t go wrong can be forgotten at once for summoning more resources of concentration.

"Landet som icke är" 14.5.2014 conducted by Cecilia Damström. Elisa Kallasjoki,
Henri Sakki, Aino Palosaari, Roope Mäenpää, Mari Pakarinen and
Julius Martikainen. Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen.

"Landet som icke är" 14.5.2014 conducted by Cecilia Damström. Anna Ranki,
Tatuarttu Ruponen, Emma Kuosmanen, Elisa Kallasjoki, Henri Sakki and
Aino Palosaari. Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

"Landet som icke är" 14.5.2014. Emma Kuosmanen, Elisa Kallasjoki,
Aino Palosaari, Roope Mäenpää, Mari Pakarinen and Julius Martikainen.
Photo by Tuomo Kallioniemi 

In my song cycle Dagbok I could finally sit down in the audience and just listen. Well, first there came a long break while all the chairs and note stands for the whole orchestra were brought on stage by our lovely porters. But it was so nice to be able to listen to my sister singing while Tuomas Turriago conducted the Dagbok-orchestra that I had put together, and it went really well and I was very happy with the performance.

Soprano Jacintha Damström sings Cecilia Damströms "Dagbok" 14.5.2014
with the Dagbok-orchestra conducted by Tuomas Turriago in Pyynikkisali.
Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

Soprano Jacintha Damström sings Cecilia Damströms "Dagbok" 14.5.2014
with the Dagbok-orchestra conducted by Tuomas Turriago in Pyynikkisali.
Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

Soprano Jacintha Damström sings Cecilia Damströms "Dagbok" 14.5.2014
with the Dagbok-orchestra conducted by Tuomas Turriago in Pyynikkisali.
Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

When the intermission began I at once ran up to the light table where my father was sitting and asked if everything was alright. Then I had to start trying out and planning the stage lighting for the second half of the concert, with the choir Näsin Ääni on stage. The choir occasionally complained that they couldn’t see the sheets of what they were singing and I replied “but the light looks so good now!”. Well, I had to compromise as it’s anyway about the music, my music, so they have to be able to see. I scribbled down the new numbers for my dad, then I ran to print out my thank you speech that I had 

prepared.

The chamber choir Näsin Ääni presented by the concert host Meerika Ahlqvist
at Pyynikkisali 14.5.2014. Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

The chamber choir Näsin Ääni conducted by Markus Yli-Jokipii
at Pyynikkisali 14.5.2014. Photo by Tuomo Kallioniemi

The chamber choir Näsin Ääni conducted by Markus Yli-Jokipii
at Pyynikkisali 14.5.2014. Photo by Arto Ilkka Jalonen

The second half of the concert didn’t have any speeches by the travel guide (Meerika) other than at the beginning and the end, and I could also sit in the audience and just enjoy the good work the choir had done with learning the pieces. Min Gud the choir sang so well that I got cold shivers many times during the piece. Afterwards Meerika thanked the audience and also I went on stage and thanked everyone who had been involved in the concert. I hate giving speeches but I am really greatful to everyone who has helped me make this happen. I’m also very happy there came such a large audience, there must have been around 200 people or more in the audience! That is a large amount for a contemporary music concert by an unknown young composer, and I am very honored that so many could come.

The chamber choir Näsin Ääni thankin Cecilia Damström for the collaboration
at the concert "Landet som icke är" 14.5.2014 in Pyynikkisali.
Photo by Tuomo Kallioniemi

Cecilia Damström thanking everyone who has been part of her composer recital
"Landet som icke är" 14.5.2014 in Pyynikkisali, Tampere.

After the concert so many people stayed to thank me and I was so happy and greatful and relieved (and hungry and exhausted), everything at the same time! My aunt had come all the way from Helsinki and she had brought along my uncle (her husband) and also her boss! I was so flattered they all three had come to Tampere for my sake! And my mother and father and grandmother as well!

And so many of my friends from the Catholic church came as well, among others Natalja and Father Stan and many more. And many many friends from my school of course who all faithfully waited for me (about half an hour!) to give me a hug and a thank you! I was so overwhelmed that I can hardly remember who was there, but I was incredibly happy!

The Day Before The Concert

Tuesday the 13th of May. Tomorrow is my concert “Landet som icke är” (The Land Which Is Not), my first composition recital! First thing in the morning I went and bought today’s copy of the newspaper Aamulehti for reading the interview. Although I of course know what I had answered I always want to know what they chose to write… On the way to the kiosk I bumped in to our caretaker, who had already read the article and said he would come to my concert. I am very flattered, he has probably never been to a contemporary music concert before.

The interview in Aamulehti 13.5. 

We have to keep a Tampering meeting today so that we will officially decide if I get money for paying the choir at my concert or not, and it should be decided before the concert.  But composers, timetables, and busy springs don’t go very well together, and only Matti and Timo were at the meeting. I sent a message to Matilda, to remind her and she said she would be there in half an hour, so we decided to wait, because we need to be four people for meetings to be legal.

While waiting for Matilda the music critic Wilhelm Kvist from Hufvudstadsbladet (the leading Swedish-language newspaper in Finland) phoned and made a short interview for tomorrow’s newspaper.

When Matilda arrived we held the meeting. We also called our chairman Henri, so he “attended” part of the meeting by phone. 

After the meeting, that anyway ended well, I started to bind together the score for my piece “Landet som icke är” which I will be conducting tomorrow. Well, the binding didn’t go that well, as I ended up binding the pages in the wrong order!  Whoops! Finally after trying to obtain a new unbound copy, I was already a few minutes late for the rehearsal.

This time all musicians and singers could come, yes! But my poor viola player had a very severe flu and was feeling like crap. I was for some reason really nervous (maybe after the notesheet copying rumba) and had a really bad day conducting… But the singers Anna Ranki and Julius Martikainen were doing absolutely great, I was really impressed. Also my trumpetist and friend Mari Pakarinen was doing wonderfully and coming in at the right place even though I (as a conductor) kept showing her in at wrong bars, it was so embarrassing! Yep, well I guess I once again was proven that I really should not be nervous when I conduct but instead meditate before and be 100% concentrated in rehearsals.

The rehearsal went so well that we decided to cancel our final rehearsal for tomorrow so that the singers could save their voices and the viola player have more time to rest and take care of her self (and the flu).

After “Landet som icke är” we were again trying together with the music technician Petrus Tuisku to get my electronic pieces “Die Berge” and “Der Wald” to work and this time we also managed to get it to work at about 23 o’clock!  I don’t know which of us was more relieved. But we still are both a bit worried about tomorrow, because there is an exam in the concert venue before my concert that ends at 16:00 and the orchestra will arrive for a dress rehearsal at 17.00 so there isn’t much time to set up all the electronics and recording equipment…

After this I headed home. Mari is staying over at my place this night (as she doesn’t live in Tampere anymore), so I let her sleep and went into the kitchen and continued writing the programme booklet for the concert. It has to be done before tomorrow morning, so I have to send it off tonight.

My rabbit Viljo was very happy to get company, and he is also otherwise always very active at night. I don’t know why, maybe because it’s spring, but he has the past month taken a habit of trying to hump my feet (especially when I wear white woolen socks). So when I crossed my legs for making it easier to keep the laptop in my lap while writing, I would every 5 minutes have a humping rabbit at my foot, which was really annoying! So I would put down my foot for a while (then he leaves me in piece) and after a while cross the other leg and off he went again!

My rabbit Viljo chewing his own feet. © Cecilia Damström

Well at 5 A.M. I was finally done and sent of the programme. It was in word format 40 pages long!!! But I am so happy still: I will receive free help from Tarja Reijonen who works for TAMK and Tampere Conservatory doing programmes and posters (among other stuff). If I would have had to think about the layout I would never have made it in time! Very exhausted but happy, I wished a disappointed Viljo good night.

"Already going to bed?" my rabbit Viljo wonders. © Cecilia Damström

Korvat Soi!

Saturday April 26th. Today was the second ‘traditional’ Korvat Auki (Open Ears) concert in Tampere, but this time in Pirkanmaanmusiikkiopisto. (Read about the first one here).  What I mean by traditional is a concert where all the music is only composed by Korvat Auki members and then performed by students. The very first Korvat Auki concert in Tampere was a concert with the German new music group Neophon ensemble in September 2013. In the concert Neophon ensemble played a contemporary programme including three pieces by Korvat Auki composers, and the same programme was played in both Helsinki and Tampere (as well as in Riga, Tallinn and Rostock!). But like I said, today we had a “typical” Korvat Auki concert containing 100% new music by young Korvat Auki composers.

Cellist Aino Palosaari. © Cecilia Damström

Korvat Auki composer Lauri Supponen having a laugh with his musicians,
clarinetist Andreas Heino and violinist Heidi-Annina Nikkilä.
© Cecilia Damström

The programme of today was:

Lauri Supponen: Da Camera

violin: Heidi-Anniina Nikkilä, cello: Taina Raittila, flute: Jenni Halonen, clarinet: Andreas Heino

Lasse Kallioniemi: Kristalli (first performance)

flute: Anu Miikkulainen, cello: Juho Nissi

Kalle Autio: Kolme laulua Santōkan teksteihin (first performance)

soprano: Piia Rytkönen, piano: Tuomas Salokangas

Saper Şahbaz: For Naima (first performance)

violin: Elias Koivisto, cello: Aino Palosaari, piano: Tuomas Salokangas

-intermission-

Sebastian Dumitrescu: Autoportret

electric-bass: Sebastian Dumitrescu

Matei Gheorghiu: Ihana surullinen ilta

soprano: Anna Ranki, piano: Tuomas Turriago

Dante Thelestam: Baba panda (first performance)

percussion: Henri Sakki ja Mauri Myllys

Charles Van Hemelryck: Grandes vacances

soprano: Hannele Taipale, piano: Jasper Koekoek

Pianist Tuomas Salokangas and soprano Piia Rytkönen
before the first performance of Kalle Autios three songs,
where the soprano gets to hit a gong!
© Cecilia Damström

All the musicians and composer of the Korvat Soi! -concert (part 1).
© Cecilia Damström

All the musicians and composer of the Korvat Soi! -concert (part 2).
© Cecilia Damström

We had good luck with the weather today, the building suited the occasion really well and generally everything went very well today! Everyone was in a calm but good mood. Originally I was supposed to be the concert producer, but I had to back out and luckily Matilda took over the task! In my defence I have already produced two Korvat Auki concerts in Tampere this year. Matilda was a superb concert producer! She had to coordinate 17 musicians but she was as calm as a summer breeze all the time, I admired her serenity greatly!

Musicians already feeling releaved in the intermission.
Pianist Tuomas Salokangas, violinist Elias Koivisto and flutist Jenni Halonen.
© Cecilia Damström

Korvat Auki composers Saper Shabaz, Charles van Hemelryck
and Matei Gheorghiu. © Cecilia Damström

I really enjoyed the concert today! Maybe it was because I had sufficiently ‘little’ to do considering arrangements in this concert (only flowers and sparking wine were my responsibility), so I could fully enjoy the music. Moreover I was in a really good listening mood this afternoon. I liked all the pieces in the concert but my two favourite composers of today where Supponen and Autio. Have a listen to Supponens DaCamera here! And for more pictures of the concert click here.

Concert producer and composer Matilda Seppälä and me.
© Lauri Supponen

Composer Lauri Supponen, composer Sebastian Dumitresctu
and soprano Piia Rytkönen. © Cecilia Damström

Korvat Auki composers: Me, Sebastian Dumistrescu and Charles van Hemelryck

After the concert most of us headed to the ‘Egyptian restautant’ JallaJalla (more like a Kebab-Pizzeria) for getting some food, and after we spent the rest of the evening in our stamping ground Bar K.

We were all quite exhausted, so already at 2 AM I headed home with my guests Dante, Lauri and Matei. I was very happy to hear Matei say that he thought this was the best Korvat Auki concert ever!