Stories by

"Art should be able to stir us, to wake us from our dreaming and our torpor, so that we should be forced to take a stand on the work and explain to ourselves what it means. If a composition is capable of this, then it has at the same time been able to activate the listener both emotionally and intellectually."

It all began when Ellen Urho, then Rector of the Sibelius Academy, hit on the idea of launching a musical counterpart to Form Function Finland and Books from Finland, devoted to design, architecture and literature...

Many Finnish guitar builders have gained international recognition with their quality instruments.

All musicians seek inspiration, sometimes on the other side of the world. Eero Hämeenniemi, a Finnish composer of classical music, works in close partnership with top Indian musicians, while Kiureli Sammallahti sings Indian Bhangra music in Finnish.

"The golden oldies of Finnish tradition have become adequately unruly as they’ve flown overseas, and found new aspects both in the song material and the soundscapes."

...Staging six days of jazz at the beginning of the Christmas season was a risky undertaking, but We Jazz’s astute programming decisions made it work...

"Outi Tarkiainen’s first arrangement for UMO Jazz Orchestra was heard 10 years ago, when she was 18. The material on this album was created between 2005 and 2011. The centrepiece is the 17-minute Into the Woodland Silence."

This summer, the Time of Music festival will once again convert the sleepy little town of Viitasaari in the heart of the scenic Finnish lakeland into a nexus of contemporary music for creators, trends and audiences.

"Otto Tolonen’s first solo recording is wonderful. Effortless playing and a total control of sound colours, together with a musically and historically interesting set of recorded works, leaves little room for further desires."