November Concerts

November is here with a sparkling variety of concerts and me trying to keep up with them! 😅  This month my music is traveling to Germany, Canada, USA and different cities in Finland. 

November began with a pang: an excerpt of my string orchestra piece Fretus was performed during the Nordic Council Prize Ceremony. The event was streamed live to all Nordic Countries and can be seen online under this link. The exerpt of Fretus, a piece dedicated to all the oceans of our world, is performed before and after announcing the winner of the Nordic Council Enviroment Prize.

4th of November: The second movement Rädda mig from my choral suite Min Gud composed to Psalm 22 will get it's Canadian premiere by the Vancouver Chamber Choir conducted by the genious Kari Turunen. The piece Min Gud composed in 2010 is a very important work for me, and quotes from this work can be heard in several of my later works, so I'm very thankful for this performance.

10th of November: my playful duo Groove for flute and accordion is getting its German premiere at Klangwerkstatt Berlin Festival für Neue Musik. Groove is a piece which combines a fusion of jazz, progressive rock, latino rhythms and contemporary music elements and I can't wait to hear it again!

17th of November: Very happy about the Danish premiere of my piano solo pieces Characters and Under Stjärnhimlen, performed by the magnificent Xenia Frederiksen at Viborg Musikforening in Viborg Musiksal. You can find more information about the event here and find tickets here.

18th of November: Very happy that my music is returning to the United States and an other US premiere, with nothing less than my 20 minute Piano Quintet Helene - Nuances from the Life of Helene Schjerfbeck , inspired by paintings and the life of the most famous Finnish modernist painter Helene Schjerfbeck.

23rd of November: The third movement Athena from my duo Celestial Beings will be performed at the opening concert of the RUSK festival in Jakobstad, Finland.  Link to the festival’s program here.

25th “Aphrodite” and “Persephone”from “Celestial Beings” will be performed at RUSK at the concert ”Souls of Ill Repute” at 6PM

28th of November: My piano solo piece Epitaph will be released on the splendid Ville Hautakangas’ debut album 12 Premieres! Soon avaiable on streaming platforms! The concert is part of the Pirkanmaa Piano Festival.

Moreover I will also be travelling thanks to these concerts to Berlin 9-12th of November, to New York 13-15th of November, to Winchester Virginia 16-19th of November, to Princeton University 20th of November as well as within Finland to Jakobstad 23-26th of November and Tampere 28th of November, so please feel free to reach out if you are in the vicinity.

Composer Cecilia Damström. ©Photo by Ville Juurikkala

October Concerts

 October is here and I would like to share this month concert, where and when my music will be performed:

Sat 1st: Epitaph performed by Tuomas Turriago in Keminmaa at 8PM

Sun 2nd: The German premiere of Expressionen by Trio Klangspectrum at 7PM at Hörfest Neue Musik in Detmold

Tue 11th: The Danish premiere of Psychedelic by Reetamaria Rajala in at 6PM in Copenhagen

Fri 21st: Piano Delirium performed by Reetamaria Rajala at 7PM at Vara Concert Hall in Sweden

Thu 27th: Lucrum by Joensuu City Orchestra and Maria Itkonen @joensuunkaupunginorkesteri @mariaitkonen at 7PM at the Carelia Hall, Joensuu, Finland

Thu 27th: Swedish Radio Broadcast of my orchestral piece Wasteland by Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra and Ville Matvejeff

All concerts can be found on my website www.ceciliadamstrom.com/when

Have a great October everyone!

Composer Cecilia Damström. Photo by Ville Juurikkala

On the photo: Composer Cecilia Damström

Photo by: Ville Juurikkala

Make up: Maria Boucht Makeup

Dress (out of recycled plastic): MIAM Clothing

World premiere of Cura

Just spent 25 hours in Kesälahti at the music festival Latosoitot! The 25 hours included three concerts (one this morning at 7AM!), swimming in a lake (three times!), sauna (two different kinds!) and the world premiere of Cura by the one and only Pekka Kuusisto and Tiina Karakorpi! Thank you to Anna-Liina Lindeberg for an amazing festival and to all her family for superb food, historical tours and heartwarming hospitality! These are moments when you know you are alive!

Happy composer after the premiere of Cura at Latosoitot 2022!

    

peter vaskThe piano from 1910 which works with a piano roll. Almost like a "disc clavier" but completely without electricity, but with the power of feet.

A still of the piano on which Cura was premiered.

One of the first bibles in Finland!

With two of my favourite musicians.

Selling amazing porridge and coffee at 7AM at Latosoitot. (The porridge was included in the ticket price! And it was one of the best porridges I have ever eaten!)

All the musicians who performed at 7:00 AM at Latosoitot.

Pekka and Tiina performing Clara Schumann at Latosoitot.

Markus Hohti performing at 7:00 AM some Peteris Vasks and Anna Meredith at the barn of Latosoitot on the 10th of July 2022

With Leena and Antti Ihamuotila after the premiere of Cura 9.7.2022.

Pekka and Tiina giving the world premiere of Cura at Mäntyniemen kartano 9.7.2022

Pekka and Tiina giving the world premiere of Cura 9 July 2022

Talking about Cura to a sold out audience before the premiere 9 July 2022.

Surprise visit to Oulu!

Super happy to be in Oulu this week to hear the marvellous Oulu Sinfonia play my piece "Tundo!" conducted by the fantastic Leo McFall! 

Oulu 10 February 2021. Photo © Cecilia Damström

And it seems that every time I come to Oulu it is at least -20 degrees or below! Last time I was here in 2006 to participate in the Madetoja Piano competition. Back then I prepared Shostakovich second piano concerto (for the competition), so it is fun that the very same piece is also included in the concert program on Thursday, performed by the fabulous Alexandra Silocea. 

Oulu 10 February 2021. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Welcome to join the live stream wherever you are in the world on Thursday at 7 PM (UTC+2)! 

Exciting times with TampereRaw!

One Saturday afternoon Anna Angervo phoned me and asked me if it was okay for me if the ensemble TampereRaw would make a concert containing 45 minutes of only my music. I could hardly believe I had heard her right, it felt so unbelievable! 

The concert was to take place during Tallinn Music Week on the 28th of March.

Well, we all know what happened in March... I felt only a tiny bit disappointed because it had felt too good to be true in the first place anyway.

But then Anna called me again and said that Tallinn Music Week had been postponed to August! 

All of the summer we have been waiting: will there be a new travel ban to Estonia?

Keeping our fingers crossed apparently helped, because here we are at last! All safe and sound in Tallinn ready for the gig tonight at 6:30!

Photo by me :)

TampereRaw will be performing three movements from my Piano Quintet No 2 “AINO - Emotions from the Life of Aino Sibelius” and all of my first Piano Quintet “MINNA - Pictures from the Life of Minna Canth”.

In addition I will be reading aloud wonderful texts written by Kaarina Hazard.

Still finding it hard to believe it actually is happening! 🤩

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING AN AMAZING SATURDAY AS WELL!!!☀️☀️☀️

Photo at the terminal by Ville Hautakangas

Tarja Halonen recommends

Next Sunday 1st of December there will be a panel discussion at 2PM about equality in music with Wilhelm Kvist, Eriikka Maalismaa, Kaarina Hazard, Juha Ahonen and yours truly moderated by Robin Lindeberg. And at 3PM TampereRaw will play a wonderful concert at Camerata at Musiikkitalo with the same topic, including my first piano quintet "Minna - Pictures from the life of Minna Canth". Oh yeah and our former president Tarja Halonen (in the picture) recommends this concert, so I guess you should come and listen! 😏

Maria Itkonen, former president Tarja Halonen and me. Photo by Anna Angervo

Quintet "Minna" on the Radio again

Last March my first Piano Quintet "Minna - Pictures from the Life of Minna Canth" was performed by the amazing musicians of TampereRaw! It was broadcast back then  by the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle. The radio programme "Aikamme suomalaista musiikkia" ("Finnish music of our time") is playing the recording in their latest program, so it is again online and can now be streamed all around the world for the next month! A presentation of Minna (in Finnish) begins at about 8:25 min and the actual piece begins at 11:50 min. Have a listen!

The program also contains pieces by my talented colleagues Jennah Vainio and Veli Kujala. For Finnish speaking friends I recommend you to listen to the very interesting commentary by the composer Aki Yli-Salomäki! 

Find the program online by clicking here!

Photo by Marthe Veian

My Quintet "Minna" on the Radio

One week ago on the 24th of March my first Piano Quintet "Minna - Pictures from the Life of Minna Canth" was performed by the amazing musicians of TampereRaw! On Thursday the 28th of March it was radio broadcast by the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle and can now be heard all around the world for the next month! Minna begins at about 7:20 min, the concert also contains pieces by my dear colleagues Lotta Wennäkoski and Minna Leinonen, which are conducted by the wonderful Maria Itkonen. For Finnish speaking friends I can also recommend you to listen to the very interesting commentary by Kaarina Hazard! Find the program online by clicking here!