FMQ 4/2007

Bass baritone Juha Uusitalo's ascent from flautist with the Finnish National Opera first onto the stage there and then that of the world's largest opera venue compares to the heroic tales of a number of Finnish conductors. Sometimes, it seems, there is no great difference between a player in the pit and an international star.

Exports of Finnish music have been growing since 1999 at a rate of about 40 per cent a year. Finland's goal-oriented cultural export policy is, however, still in its infancy. Not until the beginning of this millennium did the government show an interest in cultural exporting, and in March this year it published a Proposal for Cultural Export Promotion 2007-2011. This report sparked off lively debate that still continues in the field.