A look at the Sibelius Academy in 2018

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.

In the following, Dean Kaarlo Hildén explains the current focus areas at the Sibelius Academy. We also supply some indicators and a schematic of the modules offered by highest-level music education institution in Finland.

In Finland, doctoral studies in music are available at university musicology departments and at the Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy which has two doctoral programs with a range of artistic and academic approaches. Both doctoral schools, DocMus for classical music and MuTri for music education, jazz and folk music, offer three streams: artistic study, research study culminating in a traditional dissertation, and applied study with either an artistic or academic focus.

The Sibelius Academy is the only university-level music school in Finland. For decades, it used to be the only institution of any kind to provide tuition in composition. In 2018, composing is acquiring an important role at Finland’s music institutes, too, as in the revised curricula composing is identified as an activity that should be accessible to everyone. How can the Sibelius Academy respond to future challenges with the range of applicants becoming ever more diverse?

Composer, oboist and educator Riikka Talvitie shares her thoughts on the profession and training of composers now and in the future.

The organisations behind the Helsinki Music Centre’s Orchestra Academy are three of the biggest classical music institutions in the Finnish capital: the Sibelius Academy, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Philharmonic. In practice, the Orchestra Academy is a consortium designed to bring together orchestral pros and students.

The accordion can do lots of things, but few perceive it as an instrument for performing classical music. Yet the classical accordion class at the Sibelius Academy celebrated its 40th anniversary in March 2018. Accordionist Mika Väyrynen reflected on the popularity of the programme.