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I was three and a half years old when I performed for the first time, at my father’s employer’s Christmas party. One of the guests gave me a Finnish ten-mark note. It seemed like a lot of money – especially for singing! We sang at home all the time, so it didn’t feel like work even though performing in front of such a large crowd felt exciting. Singing was something I loved doing and it moved something inside me. And someone liked my singing enough to give me money – paper money.

The Finnish arts subsidy system is considered efficient and effective by international standards. However, a recent report by the Finnish Cultural Foundation reveals that the structure is beginning to show its age. Change is desired by many, but sweeping visions for the future are offered by few, the FCF says.

A high-value instrument should be the principal tool of any top musician, but the real gems are available only to a select few. Tomas Djupsjöbacka set up an investment company with nine other shareholders, thus securing himself a rare cello for the duration of his active performing career.

Art does not just magically appear in the world as a gift of grace that comes from divine inspiration. It is created through persistent and devoted work. This work is always funded by someone who has their own expectations of what to receive in return for their support.

The concept of a national musical language made its way to Finland in the 1800s. One of the culminations of this new wave was the premiere performance of Sibelius’s Kullervo. The birth of this epic music historical tale was influenced by a number of endeavours, ideas and occurrences.

The Sibelius Academy, Finland’s only music university, has for the past two years been part of the University of the Arts trio, together with the Theatre Academy and the Academy of Fine Arts. What does the future sound like for the Sibelius Academy?

Someone once described Finland as an orchestral utopia. And we are indeed said to have more orchestras per capita than any other country in the world.

The latest Finnish examples of using multimedia to add to the way people experience music via use of new media are augmented reality application Arilyn, and SibHack, an event for programmers.

What happened when Jean Sibelius and Larin Paraske met? This is one way to imagine the scene, from the runo singer’s point of view.