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A mixed choir exploring the borderlands between musical theatre and multi-discipline art and performing almost exclusively the conceptual-art works of its conductor Petra Poutanen boldly blazes a trail of its own beyond the realm of conventional choral aesthetics.

I fire up YouTube and browse through the channels of Finnish choirs. In the past four or five years, I have noticed a new kind of content emerging alongside traditional concert recordings: separately produced, dedicated music videos with visuals that have nothing to do with a concert setting. What are choirs aiming at by producing videos like this?

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.

The documentary series Conductors cannot help but enhance the very myth it seeks to dismantle. However, it creates a setting where Finland’s leading conductors appear as real people – an outcome that is not self-evident in the classical music world.

This article was originally published in FMQ in 2005. “In an era of complex negotiations of personal and cultural identity, glocalised jazz styles in the broader forum of the global cultural economy are providing a means for musicians around the world to assert their cultural identity within the music”, writes Stuart Nicholson.

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.

What happens when Finland’s national instrument, the kantele, is reimagined with electric bass, fiddle and rock and pop vocals? After a 30-year break, Salamakannel returns with a bold new album that blurs the line between ancient traditions and contemporary innovation.

Pianists today may not be familiar with Ingeborg Hymander, let alone her importance to the development of the art of the piano in Finland. They should, though. Who was this authority in piano pedagogy who was highly esteemed in her lifetime and whose influence can be felt in Finland and further afield even to this day?

“What is the common denominator between Sámi-Finnish, Finnish-Caribbean, Finnish-Senegalese and klezmer music?” asks Riikka Hiltunen in this record review, which features four world music albums released in 2024.