One of Europe’s most extraordinary bands, the harmonica quartet Sväng, celebrates 20 years. How did the group convince the world they weren’t just a gimmick, but...

The toughest yet most rewarding of all forms of musical expression, improvisation, has always thrived in Finland. Who knows, maybe the rigours of the freezing dark...

Folk musician, multidisciplinary improviser and educator Outi Pulkkinen and pianist-composer Kari Ikonen discuss improvisation, its limits and its potential. Both base their work on improvisation, and...

Classical musicians are rediscovering the long-lost art of improvisation, which has been kept alive in jazz and folk. How does improvisation affect the brains of performers...

Libero Mureddu, who is completing a doctorate at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, creates sonic frameworks that blend algorithmic unexpectancies with...

Among Finnish jazz musicians, those who have completed an entire degree abroad remain very much a minority. Yet seeking perspective away from home may help find...

The theme of the Tampere Biennale contemporary music festival in April 2024 was ‘Worlds in Metamorphosis’. The event approached the theme through works with a strong...

Rauno Nieminen turned the jouhikko and kantele into contemporary marvels. Recently awarded a lifetime achievement for his work, Nieminen’s work isn’t just about instruments – it’s...

Many of us recognise the experience of music opening completely new worlds, generating feelings and imagining beyond the everyday. These experiences may be our companions throughout...