FMQ - Columns

On My Music and Beyond: Baba Yaga and ikebana – chaos and order at the core of creation

In this article, I summarise my creative activity as a balancing act between chaos and order. At its core are opposing forces whose struggle is at once painful and ecstatic and an endless source of inspiration. The relationship between chaos and order varies in my media music and arts projects. I also consider how various musical traditions relate to my writing from the perspective of chaos and order.

Salla Hakkola

June 19, 2025

Columns

On my music and beyond: How to write Orthodox choral music in this day and age?

Composer Mikko Sidoroff has been involved with choral music for the Orthodox Church for more than two decades. Can traditional sacred music be updated – and how? In this article, Sidoroff discusses the theological foundation for writing music and describes means by which the tradition can be enriched with new nuances.

Mikko Sidoroff

April 11, 2025

Columns

Editorial: The Chorus of Community

"There is something profoundly human about the act of singing together. When voices, each carrying their own texture and timbre, come together, they form something greater than the sum of their parts," writes editor-in-chief Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

April 11, 2025

Columns

Composers and colleagues: Minna Leinonen

In this column series, composers working in Finland ask each other questions on just about anything: their work, technique, philosophy or career. In this instalment, Minna Leinonen responds to a question from Mikko Heiniö. Next time, she will present a question to a composer of her choice.

Minna Leinonen

February 28, 2025

Columns

On my music and beyond: Composing as a means of survival

In this deeply personal column, Markku Klami reflects on how music became his survival strategy, why composing remains his greatest calling, and how culture can give us a reason to live. “Art fosters hope, opens up new perspectives and brings us together”, writes Klami.

Markku Klami

February 7, 2025

Columns

FMQ turns forty

Forty years have passed since FMQ was launched in 1985 as the Finnish Music Quarterly. In this column, editor-in-chief Lasse Lehtonen reflects on the past decades – and looks ahead to the future.

Lasse Lehtonen

January 10, 2025

Columns

Cosmopolitan instrument enters national heritage: A historical perspective on the origins of Finnish accordion music

The history of accordion music in Finland is often considered just as part of the history of Finnish music. But if we look beyond the national perspective, we find what a cosmopolitan instrument the accordion actually is. This is the story of how accordion music was imported, adopted and ultimately domesticated in Finland.

Vesa Kurkela

December 31, 2024

Columns

The accordion in Finland: A 21st-century perspective?

The accordion’s image in Finland has constantly been renegotiated by performers, composers, instrument makers and audiences who have recognised its potential in a variety of settings. Each of its many roles contributes to a vibrant mosaic. But how has this mosaic been compiled, and what does it look like in Finland today?

Lasse Lehtonen

December 31, 2024

Columns

On my music and beyond: Towards the golden era of the classical accordion

The accordion is poised to redefine its place in the musical world – its golden era is only just beginning. In this column, composer and accordionist Veli Kujala discusses the resurgence and evolution of the classical accordion.

Veli Kujala

December 13, 2024

Columns

On my music and beyond: Composing music as a family

Composing is often thought of as a lonely pursuit where a piece of music gradually takes shape in the mind of a solitary creator. But what if a work has two composers who also have a strong personal bond? In this column, Sanna Ahvenjärvi and Tapio Lappalainen, joint recipients of the distinguished Teosto Prize, discuss the challenges, rewards and human aspects of co-composing music.

Sanna Ahvenjärvi, Tapio Lappalainen

November 22, 2024

Columns

Composers and colleagues: Mikko Heiniö

In this column series, composers working in Finland ask each other questions that can be on just about anything: their work, their technique, their philosophy or their career. In this instalment, Mikko Heiniö responds to a question from Aulis Sallinen. Next time, Mikko Heiniö will present a question to a composer of his choice.

Mikko Heiniö, Aulis Sallinen

November 1, 2024

Columns

The Special Issue 3/2024 Editorial: Bridging time, sound and genre – Early music, fluid and versatile

“Early music – broadly defined – is anything but static. It stretches, bends, and reinvents itself in dialogue with a growing array of genres, traditions, and practices. This issue explores how early music and its practices thrive at these various intersections today”, writes Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

October 4, 2024

Columns

On my music and beyond: Escaping the romantic orchestra’s grasp

What happens when a composer turns away from the lush, uniform sound of the Romantic orchestra? In this column by composer Olli Virtaperko, the journey from early music instruments to contemporary orchestral challenges reveals a fresh perspective on navigating between different musical ideals.

Olli Virtaperko

September 27, 2024

Columns

Life without music festivals is a mistake

How do you start a new music festival? In this column, Professor Seppo Kimanen, founder and organiser of multiple prominent classical music festivals in Finland, looks at the past and the future, the latter with specific reference to the newly established Lauttasaari Music Festival. “It’s a paradox: in order for a festival to feel the same, its content must be different every time. Continuous renewal and remaining in touch with the times are the keys to long-term success,” Kimanen writes.

Seppo Kimanen

August 16, 2024

Columns

The Special Feature 2/2024 Editorial: The art of spontaneity: Exploring the boundaries of improvisation

This special issue of FMQ highlights improvisation. We delve into the experiences of musicians who balance spontaneity and structure, revealing how improvisation shapes their creative processes and performances in kaleidoscopic ways.

Lasse Lehtonen

June 27, 2024

Columns

Vocal painting – how to make a choir improvise

When choral conductor Ida Olsonen does vocal painting with the Musta lammas choir (whose name translates as ‘black sheep’), no one knows what the performance will be like. In this column, Olsonen describes how an improvised choral performance unfolds – and how it is even possible to conduct choral improvisation in the first place.

Ida Olsonen

June 27, 2024

Columns

Improvisation and intuition with Katarina Barruk

Katarina Barruk is an Ume Sámi singer and songwriter from the Swedish side of the Sámi region, Sábmie. Barruk sings in her native language, Ume Sámi, which is in the UNESCO’s red list of critically endangered languages with just an estimated 100 speakers. Making her language heard across borders, Barruk’s live performances have improvised elements, and improvisation is an important force in her music that mixes traditional joik with pop. In this interview with FMQ, Barruk talks about her relationship with improvisation.

Katarina Barruk

June 20, 2024

Columns

Composers and colleagues: Aulis Sallinen

In this new column, composers working in Finland ask each other questions that can be on just about anything: their work, their technique, their philosophy or their career. In this inaugural column, Aulis Sallinen responds to a question from Antti Auvinen, retiring chair of the Society of Finnish Composers. Next time, Aulis Sallinen will present a question to a composer of his choice.

Aulis Sallinen

May 31, 2024

Columns

On my music and beyond: Creating connections and togetherness through music

“In a time of disinformation warfare and polarisation, where people gain power and money by spreading fear and hate and by polarising people against each other, what we need the most is love and a sense of connection,” writes composer Cecilia Damström in her column.

Cecilia Damström

April 19, 2024

Columns

On my music and beyond: How do you win composition competitions?

On the date of publication of this column, Tomi Räisänen’s organ concerto Pulmo, which was awarded the grand prize in the Kaija Saariaho Organ Composition Competition, is being premiered on the new organ at the Music Centre in Helsinki. “As a composer, it is good for you to aim to improve and challenge yourself”, writes Räisänen.

Tomi Räisänen

February 2, 2024

Columns

The Special Feature 4/2023 Editorial: What should we discuss when addressing artificial intelligence?

"We should be talking much more about how AI affects our capabilities in critical thinking (or thinking in general) and how we are able to assess whether the information surrounding us is true or false", writes Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

December 22, 2023

Columns

Composers! Artificial Intelligence is Your Friend

Your friends on social media are not your friends; they are just people who are notified of updates to your account. Similarly, artificial intelligence is not intelligence; the term is a label for computational models of inductive reasoning.

Uljas Pulkkis

December 8, 2023

Columns

Let’s hear it for children’s music!

"There is a lot of children’s music being made in Finland, with diverse approaches, but it is not easy to come by at random these days," writes Maiju Kopra, President of the Children’s Music Association, in her column.

Maiju Kopra

December 1, 2023

Columns

The Special Feature 3/2023 Editorial: Musical mappings of grief

It may be clichéd to note that music is an exceptionally powerful medium for channeling strong emotions, but this cliché certainly underscores its validity when one encounters a profoundly human emotion: grief. The expression – or experience – of grief through music can follow highly normative and ritualized paths, especially during occasions like funerals. However, it can also take freer forms, seeking to push the boundaries and norms that society typically imposes on how we should experience grief.

Lasse Lehtonen

September 29, 2023

Columns

Between different worlds – Locating “Finland” in Final Fantasy V Dear Friends

I still vividly remember how surprised I was when, more than 20 years ago, I first popped Final Fantasy V Dear Friends (1993) into my CD player. I was expecting to hear the energetic main theme with its iconic harp, strings and trumpet. Instead, the CD started with joik from Lapland – followed by a piece that begins with a kantele solo! Indeed, Dear Friends is one of the few game music albums to feature kantele and joik. But is there anything ‘Finnish’ about the album?

Lasse Lehtonen

June 15, 2023

Columns

On my music and beyond: On the outer ranges of composerhood

“The biggest part of my professional life so far has been writing game music arrangements, which have been performed by symphony orchestras around the world”, writes composer and arranger Jonne Valtonen, who is known for both his contemporary works and for composing and arranging game music.

Jonne Valtonen

June 15, 2023

Columns

Editorial: Video game music – all around us yet often ignored

"Video game music has become increasingly prominent in musical life in Finland. This special issue introduces some of the fascinating and diverse aspects of game music in the country," writes Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

June 15, 2023

Columns

The Special Feature 1/2023 Editorial: Celebrating musical connections between peoples

"While all the articles address different topics, it becomes apparent that, regardless of genre or generation, the strength of Finnish-Japanese musical exchange ultimately boils down to avid enthusiasm and fruitful collaborations. These collaborations have resulted in long-lasting friendships – both between two countries and between people", writes editor-in-chief Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

March 30, 2023

Columns

On the current demand for Sibelius and Finnish music in Japan

“It is easy for the Japanese audience to sympathise with the musical characteristics of Finnish works,” writes Yuri Nitta, conductor and chair of the Sibelius Society of Japan.

Yuri Nitta

March 30, 2023

Columns

Competing makes you better but requires mutual encouragement

"The very word ‘competition’ prompts negative associations with elbow tactics and aggression. And when someone wins, someone else inevitably loses." In her column, accordionist and composer Johanna Juhola discusses the meaning and importance of competition for her career.

Johanna Juhola

December 28, 2022

Columns

Lifelong competition

"It must be very important to achieve competition success, but how important, and for what reasons?" In this column, composer Olli Virtaperko discusses the role and importance of competitions in musical life.

Olli Virtaperko

December 28, 2022

Columns

The Special Feature 4/2022 Editorial: Musicianship and competing – eternally inseparable?

"For better or worse, the occupation of a musician is largely defined by competing," writes Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

December 26, 2022

Columns

On my music and beyond: On the search for enjoyable contemporary music

"I would be delighted if an audience member said: 'Those ten minutes passed so quickly' after hearing my music", writes Mioko Yokoyama.

Mioko Yokoyama

November 23, 2022

Columns

My teacher Kaija Saariaho: ”Five Miniatures”

“Studying under Kaija’s guidance proved to be an important experience to all of us who were learning from her – for some of us, you could say it was even life-changing.” In his essay, composer Juha T. Koskinen reflects on how having been taught by Kaija Saariaho has shaped his thinking as well as his compositional output and processes.

Juha T. Koskinen

October 27, 2022

Columns

The Special Feature 3/2022 Editorial: On musical metaphors and human encounters

"All pieces in this Special Feature share one theme: the significance of encounters," writes Lasse Lehtonen.

Lasse Lehtonen

October 27, 2022

Columns

Building bridges across time - In the hands of a contemporary music festival

"The festival has thoroughly taught me to question and to puzzle over what music actually is, whether considered as actions, definitions or delimitations. Even the simplest contemplation of the relationship between music, tones and other sounds, let alone their relationship to silence and other forms of expression and art, blew my untutored mind, and more than once I found myself reeling as I exited an overwhelming concert into the dusky Viitasaari summer night", writes Jari Hoffrén.

Jari Hoffrén

September 7, 2022

Columns

On my music and beyond: How I learned to stop worrying and love the pressure

"I used to think of tight schedules as something that stand in the way of creativity. That the mind always needs time to ponder, weigh and analyse before the music can flow. I’ve since come to realise it’s far more complicated than that," writes film composer Panu Aaltio. This column is part of the series "On my music and beyond" where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Panu Aaltio

August 24, 2022

Columns

The Special Feature 2/2022 Editorial: Progress, one story at a time

"At some point, even the most rigid relics in the music industry will give up their defensive reactions and realise that, hang on, this diversity stuff is all the rage, where can we get some?"

Kare Eskola

June 30, 2022

Columns

On my music and beyond: Opening up enclosed compositions in an enclosed space

"I am a composer of contemporary music, but also frequently an ordinary concertgoer – a music listener. My purpose here is to consider an art music concert event from the perspective of an audience member," writes Riikka Talvitie. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Riikka Talvitie

June 30, 2022

Columns

Who’s afraid of the musicologist? – An overview of a discipline

"Let us accept as a starting point that one can be a musicologist if one has been trained as a musician and as a scholar. Failing to meet either of these two criteria removes the foundation from talking about music," writes musicologist, Professor Eero Tarasti in his FMQ column.

Eero Tarasti

March 31, 2022

Columns

Music-making among people, machines and nature – The potential of critical post-humanism in music studies

"As the climate crisis accelerates and other societal threats emerge, musicologists can, whatever their speciality, join in demonstrating that the close co-existence of humans with each other and with non-human creatures and things is a feature not only of non-Western worldviews and musical cultures as explored and shown by ethnomusicologists but of Western cultures too," writes Milla Tiainen, PhD and current Chair of the Finnish Musicological Society.

Milla Tiainen

March 31, 2022

Columns

The Special Feature 1/2022 Editorial: The richly turbulent nexus of music and science

A long time ago, I was attracted by the richness of music to study musicology at university. The breadth of the discipline was not a surprise – it was a given – but what did surprise me was the discovery of innumerable interfaces between music and science. Ploughing through a mountain of repertoire classes fostered my conception of what music is and at the same time underlined just thin our conception of repertoire is. Traditional harmony and counterpoint exercises trained my analytical ear yet somehow managed to uncover new and deeper structures at every turn, in fractal fashion.

Kare Eskola

March 31, 2022

Columns

On my music and beyond: A forever expanding sphere

"Musical evolution is not linear. Musical styles do not change all at once, and music does not develop – let alone ‘progress’ – in any single direction. Musical evolution is also spherical; we are living in a continuous Big Bang that is endlessly expanding our musical universe in all directions," writes composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Osmo Tapio Räihälä

January 26, 2022

Columns

The Special Feature 4/2021 Editorial: A look at the potential futures of the music industry

Anu Ahola

December 17, 2021

Columns

Music and bi-cultural identity: Navigating the pandemic

"Boundaries between nationalities are becoming more relaxed, and people increasingly feel themselves belonging to transnational groups. And as people move around, so does their music. Changes in society also affect music," writes Anna Dantchev in her column.

Anna Dantchev

December 17, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: About the anatomy of an artwork

"Art of time requires dramaturgical precision from its creator, and because of this a key tool for the creator is a stopwatch. If a particular section of a composition is too short, it is unable to effectively convey its narrative; if it is too long, it will bore the listener. The aim is always to get the texture to breathe at the appropriate pace, to give it natural motion and clarity," writes composer Aulis Sallinen. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Aulis Sallinen

December 8, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: Composing must be rooted in integrity

"For me, the most important function of music is to convey and catalyse emotions. This is why rich textures and powerful melodies play such a central role in my music," writes Mari Sainio. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Mari Sainio

December 8, 2021

Columns

Tampere Jazz Happening: 40 years of pushing the boundaries, and self-obliteration

"What makes someone visit the same music festival for 40 years without a break? This is what has happened to me with Tampere Jazz Happening", writes music journalist Harri Tuominen.

Harri Tuominen

November 22, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: HOPE – A positive musical perspective on the world’s ecological crisis

"When I compose music and write lyrics, I start from the concept of wanting to communicate true facts and real things to my listeners, and find issues that are relevant and common for all of us as humans. I love to connect with my audiences, and I want to speak out about things that matter to me. When it comes to lyrics, I love to be poetic. When it comes to music, I love grooves, patterns, odd and polyrhythms," writes Elena Mîndru. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Elena Mîndru

November 12, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: What joik is

"Joik comes in many guises, and I have been obliged to accept that my joik language is mixed up with all sorts of things. The main thing, however, is that my joik language is for expressing my feelings on my own terms," writes Sámi musician Ánnámáret (Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman). This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman

October 14, 2021

Columns

Revival of the music industry needs investments

“The coronavirus support measures allocated to the arts and culture sector in Finland have been modest by Nordic comparison and were not based on compensation of losses as would have been appropriate but on the grants system that is in place under normal circumstances. Also, they only offer solutions for the immediate needs caused by the crisis. Further anxiety is added by the fact that there are substantial cuts to the arts looming in the central government budget in the near future, and what will happen beyond 2024 is anyone’s guess,” writes Kaisa Rönkkö, Executive Director of Music Finland.

Kaisa Rönkkö

September 30, 2021

Columns

How composers earn their crust in Finland

“From the viewpoint of direct artist funding, art politics since the 1990s recession have failed. The sector’s growth has not been matched by increased public funding.” Composer Pasi Lyytikäinen reflects on the progress and future views of composers’ livelihood in Finland.

Pasi Lyytikäinen

September 30, 2021

Columns

The Special Feature 3/2021 Editorial: What can a welfare state afford? – Of music and money in a post-pandemic world

Anu Ahola

September 30, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: The greatest achievement of humanity is art

“Composing is for me largely a matter of random meandering, and writing down the notes is only the tip of the iceberg in my process. My composing does not adapt to office hours, does not progress in a linear fashion and is not easily predictable; instead, it is variable and fragmented, and largely a complete mystery to me,” writes composer Sauli Zinovjev. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Sauli Zinovjev

September 16, 2021

Columns

How venues will cope depends on how they can adapt

"The resilience of our industry has been weighed in the balance and found to be sound. We will pull through this, but it will require us to accept that the change is permanent and to respond to that change," writes Annamaija Saarela in her FMQ column.

Annamaija Saarela

June 16, 2021

Columns

The Special Feature 2/2021 Editorial: Concert experiences of the future: something old, something new

When the pandemic forced concerts to remove themselves from halls and clubs to a virtual space, everyone involved found themselves in a completely new situation: listeners, performers, venues and concert producers. At the time of writing, concerts are slowly returning to physical venues around the world, but many things have changed and many more things are in a state of flux. Many things that we were forced to learn under these exceptional circumstances will continue to affect the way we do things even after the pandemic is over.

June 16, 2021

Columns

Nostalgia and rebellion at Time of Music 2021 - Thoughts on the concepts and practices of curating at festivals

"Could emphatic escapism in fact be the best reflection of the current time, where all of us wish that we were living in the past? Perhaps a symbolic farewell to that which is past is the best way to proceed to something new? Accordingly, the concerts at the Time of Music festival in summer 2021 will be memorial plaques of the future," writes artistic director, composer Johan Tallgren in his column.

Johan Tallgren

June 4, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: Engawa, listening out

"During my three-month teaching period [in Japan], I learned greater respect for individuals who build bridges between cultures that are distant from each other, both geographically and mentally," writes composer Juha T. Koskinen. This column is part of the series where composers and musicians write about their music.

Juha T. Koskinen

April 30, 2021

Columns

The geocultural politics of music historiography in Finland

"The fundamental problem of current music historiography, in Finland and elsewhere in the postcolonial civilised world, is that the preoccupation with evading all possible accusations of racism overwhelms historical investigations into how the present practices – historical narration included – are part and parcel of a political continuum where racist ideologies have been and continue to be amongst the most powerful ones."

Antti-Ville Kärjä

March 29, 2021

Columns

The Special Feature 1/2021 Editorial: About music and power

Anu Ahola

March 29, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: Hypnotic and captivating, not dusty antiquities

“Although I have delved deep into archives and particularly into the traditional music of the Suistamo area through my research, the fact is that modern folk music finds its inspiration absolutely anywhere, not just in dusty antiquities,” writes Anne-Mari Kivimäki, a composer and the developer of the modern Karelian accordion trance style, who is also known as a member of the band Suistamon Sähkö.

Anne-Mari Kivimäki

March 5, 2021

Columns

On my music and beyond: Advocating for the human touch

"With my works and with the way I write them, I advocate for the human touch in our increasingly cold and technological world," writes composer Kalevi Aho. This column is part of the series where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Kalevi Aho

January 15, 2021

Columns

All is well in the land of ample grants? – Musical life before and after the crisis

Composer Kimmo Hakola has been an expert consultant in cultural administration at home and abroad for the past 20 years. In this column, he discusses aspects of the Finnish grants system and the cumulative financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the music scene.

Kimmo Hakola

December 17, 2020

Columns

Reports of the demise of the Kalevala are exaggerated

"Perhaps the most relevant legacy of the Kalevala is in its rich and varied use of language, its grand narratives and how those narratives translate to the modern era." Ethnomusicologist Lari Aaltonen discusses the Kalevala today.

Lari Aaltonen

December 17, 2020

Columns

The Special Feature 4/2020 Editorial: Sustainability is the only way to the future

As the year closes, we here at FMQ wish to raise certain issues that have become important, or increasingly important, in this extraordinary year. All of them ultimately lead to the same key question that is on the minds of everyone in the music community: how can we best secure the future of music after the present crisis? What are the things that we should focus on?

Anu Ahola

December 16, 2020

Columns

Tears behind face masks and concerts with social distancing

“There is a solemn atmosphere at concerts in 2020, held with social distancing. Nothing, it seems, can be taken for granted any more. Circumstances may change at short notice, and any given live performance may turn out to be the last one for a long time. Audiences are subdued. There is a sense of ceremony at concerts: guided by staff, we exit the hall in an orderly procession, faces covered.” Auli Särkiö-Pitkänen discusses the importance of extraordinary concerts in these extraordinary times.

Auli Särkiö-Pitkänen

November 20, 2020

Columns

The Special Feature 3/2020 Editorial: Music education as a reflection of changes in society

Anu Ahola

September 25, 2020

Columns

On my music and beyond: The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny

“During the previous year of my studies in Utrecht I had added theory of music and composition to my curriculum. I knew I wanted to be a performer, but the traditional jazz piano wasn’t where my heart was. I had studied Clare Fischer’s harmonic concepts, which seemed to open windows towards the contemporary classical sounds I had heard in Donaueschingen,” writes composer and pianist Sid Hille. This column is part of the series where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Sid Hille

August 6, 2020

Columns

The Special Feature 2/2020 Editorial: Comfort symphonies and technique practice for the end of time

What has music meant to you at times of crisis in your life? What piece of music gives you strength? What has it been like to play music during the coronavirus pandemic? We asked musicians to share their thoughts for this Special Feature. We also explored the importance of music at transition points in life from the perspective of music psychology and examined what statistics on music listening look like in these troubled times.

Anu Ahola

June 18, 2020

Columns

Music – a meaningful resource at turning points and in times of crisis

Why does music prompt such a powerful emotional response? How does music reach our emotions and play on them? Music psychology researcher Suvi Saarikallio discusses the meaning of music for individuals and communities at turning points.

Suvi Saarikallio

June 18, 2020

Columns

A life marked by music

Violinist Maria Puusaari writes to the FMQ readers about music that is significant for her, and about the role of music in her life during important turning points and times of crisis.

Maria Puusaari

June 18, 2020

Columns

On my music and beyond – Over, past, thence and yonder

“A certain material, tone combination or chord is nothing on its own, but in the context of a work, it and its significance reaches beyond itself. And similarly, a musical entity can – when all pieces click together – reach over and beyond music as a phenomenon, to interpret humanity. To be available to others, to be recognised: as evidence of what it means to exist,” writes composer Lotta Wennäkoski. This column is part of the series, where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Lotta Wennäkoski

April 23, 2020

Columns

On my music and beyond: Repository of Hope

“Nature exposes the artifice of art, the craftedness of it, the smallness and egotism of it before the vastness of creation. To invoke nature is to admit the wild, the unplanned, into art,” writes composer Matthew Whittall. This column is part of the series, where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Matthew Whittall

April 8, 2020

Columns

Western art music taken to heart by the Japanese

Innumerable concerts, wonderful halls and talented musicians: the popular image of the status of Western art music in Japan has undergone a sea-change in the past few decades. The country has a rich musical culture that today is closely aligned with the West yet continues to explore its own unique pathways. Lasse Lehtonen, Visiting Researcher at the University of Tokyo, discusses the musical culture of Japan in his column, which was written before the COVID-19 outbreak morphed into a pandemic.

Lasse Lehtonen

April 2, 2020

Columns

The Special Feature 1/2020 Editorial: Giving up absolute control can open new doors

When we began to plan this Special Feature, our idea was to look at collective creativity, collaboration and communication in the field of music. None of us could imagine what the world would be like only a few months later, as we are ready to publish these articles.

March 26, 2020

Columns

The Special Feature 4/2019 Editorial: Pioneer spirit, a feel for wood – and a lot of love

Instruments and discussions about them always reflect their times and how things change, just like music, composing and the work of a performing musician. This Special Feature brings together interesting aspects and issues of how instruments are made and used today, at the threshold of the 2020s.

Anu Ahola

December 19, 2019

Columns

Finding the sound of the jouhikko

The jouhikko, a traditional bowed lyre that represents a dead end in the evolution of musical instruments, is enjoying a renaissance not only in Finland but internationally too. Jouhikkos are being played and built as far afield as in the Americas, by amateurs and professional instrument makers alike. But what should a jouhikko actually look and sound like? What are the ideals governing its development? Jouhikko virtuoso Ilkka Heinonen adds his two cents.

Ilkka Heinonen

December 19, 2019

Columns

On my music and beyond: Notes from a drummer’s underworld

"Music was omnipresent in my home, but when drummer friends older than myself introduced me to jazz, I was properly hooked. I decided that the best drummers play jazz, and thus began an exploration that remains as interesting today as it was when I was twelve."

Teppo Mäkynen

December 5, 2019

Columns

The Special Feature 3/2019 Editorial: Singing, yoiking and fiddling to tear down walls

"In today’s global reality - both physical and virtual - folk music and world music offer a unique opportunity to look outside our bubble and to visit unfamiliar cultures. Music can give us a profound sense even of cultures whose language is completely alien to us and can give voice to those who cannot otherwise make their voices heard."

Anu Ahola

September 30, 2019

Columns

Folklandia – a music festival on sea

Once a year the Folklandia cruise gathers Finnish folk music and dance lovers together for a 24-hour journey on the Baltic Sea. In January 2019 Simon Broughton got on the board.

Simon Broughton

September 30, 2019

Columns

On my music and beyond: The world is a mosaic

"With my teaching this summer, I have found a new and hopeful vista opening before me," writes Kaija Saariaho. This column is part of the series On my music and beyond, where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Kaija Saariaho

August 22, 2019

Columns

Kaija Saariaho's column in FMQ from 2019: The world is a mosaic

"The world is a mosaic of beliefs, of languages, of varied communities, and the question is not whether it is possible for them to coexist but how their coexistence could be facilitated, because we have no choice”, writes Kaija Saariaho in her column, originally published in FMQ in 2019.

Kaija Saariaho

August 22, 2019

Columns

The Special Feature 2/2019 Editorial: Nothing is constant except change

"Throughout history, periods of uncertainty have prompted people to resort to art and spirituality to search for answers. Amidst the upheavals of our time, art is excellently placed to once again both reflect the world and to change it."

Anu Ahola

June 20, 2019

Columns

FMQ Podcast, Episode 1: Artists at Risk

The first episode of the FMQ Podcast deals with artist residencies. Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen from the Artists at Risk institution tell us about their work with artists who have had to flee their home country due to pressing political situations.

Matti Nives

June 20, 2019

Columns

On my music and beyond: Orchestration Balancer

"I am currently exploring ways of ensuring the audibility of a specific instrument in orchestral texture before rehearsals even begin." This column is part of the series "On my music and beyond", where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Uljas Pulkkis

March 31, 2019

Columns

Concert hall acoustics – but on whose terms?

In recent years, concert hall research has been raised to a new level with a method developed at Aalto University in Finland. This enables the authentic auditing of concert hall acoustics in a laboratory.

Tapio Lokki

March 31, 2019

Columns

Special Feature 1/2019 Editorial: Better sounds, better life

"Although any individual listener experience is the sum of many factors and is influenced not only by technological parameters but also by the listener’s emotions and state of alertness, not to speak of their musical history, I am convinced that even a slight improvement in sound quality when listening to music can improve your quality of life."

Anu Ahola

March 31, 2019

Columns

Avanto adventures with Kimmo Pohjonen

"When accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen invited me to join him at his sauna society in January I couldn’t resist. But I was afraid. I’ve been courageous enough to attend many Kimmo shows and survived. But here was a challenge."

Simon Broughton

February 21, 2019

Columns

On my music and beyond: Composing or producing?

"My music is born out of the life I live and is influenced by the inspiring people I meet, the books I read, the films and theatre performances I see, the trips I take." This column is part of the series "On my music and beyond", where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen

December 13, 2018

Columns

Special Feature 4/2018 Editorial: Composers sharing their secrets

In the Special Feature 4/2018, FMQ launches a new series of columns where composers and other music makers write about their music. We also re-publish some treasures from our archives, and present highlights from a 13-part documentary series produced by the Society of Finnish Composers.

Anu Ahola

December 13, 2018

Columns

On my music and beyond: The archaic is avant-garde

“'The archaic is avant-garde!', is a provocative catch-cry, but also the truth. It is also true that both the archaic and the avant-garde are necessary for the arts." This column is part of the series "On my music and beyond", where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Heikki Laitinen

December 13, 2018

Columns

On my music and beyond: Listening to the mind

"The first dramatic moment in listening in the mind is when that internal sound latches on to something tangible and becomes performable music." This column is part of the series "On my music and beyond", where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Kimmo Hakola

December 13, 2018

Columns

On my music and beyond: What do I hear, how do I hear?

"I write music like I hear it. A composer’s voice is a blend of encounters, influences, sharing and privacy, life situations and changes in the living environment." This column is part of the series "On my music and beyond", where composers and other music makers write about their music.

Minna Leinonen

December 13, 2018

Columns

On my music and beyond: Freedom within limits

"The element of surprise and freedom that improvisation offers remains to this day present in my music and in the way it is experienced."

Sebastian Hilli

December 13, 2018

Columns

On Nordic collaboration

“The Nordic Music Days is the mirror of the Nordic composers’ community. At the same time, it also represents a broader symbol of Nordic collaboration which, despite its challenges in reconciling different interests that sometimes feel insurmountable, can be seen as an example of a universal opportunity for collaboration between nations. As an added bonus, the festival occasionally enables access to interesting music.”

Olli Virtaperko

October 31, 2018

Columns

Glass Jukebox - Trends of fairness and transparency and the Finnish music industries

Juho Kaitajärvi-Tiekso discusses power relations, fairness and the role of copyright in the world of music streaming services.

Juho Kaitajärvi-Tiekso

October 19, 2018

Columns

Scenes, neo-tribes and imagined communities

"As a worldwide sub-culture, heavy metal is an excellent example of the specialised communities that emerge in modern society, governed by individual preferences rather than a shared physical environment – similar music tastes or, say, consumer choices."

Merja Hottinen

September 6, 2018

Columns

Special Feature 3/2018 Editorial: Unisons and adventurous harmonies

In this Special Feature FMQ takes a look at the fascinating network of relationships between music, community and identity. We discuss the role of music in building communities on the one hand and specialised, music-based communities on the other.

September 6, 2018

Columns

Special Feature 2/2018 Editorial: Essential elements of an ideal degree in music

The second Special Feature in FMQ in 2018 focuses on Finland’s only university-level music institution, the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, through which we also take a look at university-level music teaching today in general.

Anu Ahola

June 4, 2018

Columns

Meditations of a librettist

Author and musician Maritza Núñez has written the librettos for 42 operas to date. In 2018, operas based on her libretti will be performed in Finland, Estonia, Russia and Peru. Here she discusses the art of writing a libretto.

Maritza Núñez

March 22, 2018