2020-2021

30.11.2020 at 17 | (sf)ÄÄRI – Anna-Sofia Anttonen’s Master’s graduation concert | Harpsichord/continuo
Livestream link – performed in R-talo concert hall, Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9, 00100, Helsinki, Finland

My dear friend Anna-Sofia Anttonen is a beautifully musical and versatile saxophone player. She is playing her graduation concert on the 30th of November and asked me to play in the ensemble for a Vivaldi concerto. Of course I said yes. The concerto is originally written for bassoon but Anna-Sofia is taking it on with a tenor saxophone. The rest of her programme is also very interesting, and features other friends of mine, including composer Matilda Seppälä.

There is hardly a greater pleasure than playing for friends’ graduations. The whole concert will be livestreamed and you can access it here.

The programme:

Luciano Berio: Sequenza VIIIb / Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in g minor RV495 / Nuño Fernández Ezquerra: Plerion / Matilda Seppälä: Feedback (world premiere)

The musicians:

Berio: Anna-Sofia Anttonen

Vivaldi: Johanna Hubert and Marco Elefanta – violin / Aino Räsänen: viola / Anna Pulakka and Hsin-Di Shih: cello / Eero Mattila: double bass / Kaisamaija Uljas: theorbo / Eugenie Carolina van der Meulen: Harpsichord

Fernández Ezquerra: Nanako Lammi, Sikri Lehto, Nanna Ikonen: saxophones. Together with Anna-Sofia these ladies form the Saxtronauts.

Matilda Seppälä: live-electronics.

More information via Anna-Sofia’s Instagram @annasofialexsandra and her website.

02.12.2020 at 19:30 | Kristiina Salmi’s Master’s graduation concert | Harpsichord/continuo
Camerata hall, Musiikkitalo, Mannerheimintie 13 A, Helsinki, Finland

Together with cellist Tatu Ahola I will provide the continuo for François Couperin’s onzième concert in g minor, in which oboist Kristiina Salmi plays the solo part. Unfortunately due to the most recent Corona restrictions of Friday 27.11.2020, no audience is allowed at this concert and we will be playing only for Kristiina’s exam jury.

03.09.2020 at 15-18 | Opening of the Academic Year 20/21 | Presenter
Musiikkitalo and the Töölönlahti bay parks, Mannerheimintie 13 A, Helsinki, Finland

Together with colleagues Sara-Maria Pirhonen and Folke Narin I presented the opening of the academic year ceremony of the University of the Arts. Together we wrote texts that we hoped would inspire the university community to start the new year with a sense of togetherness and acceptance of all and any feelings. It was important to us to present the event trilingually, in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Information about the event can be found here and a recording is available via Uniarts’ Youtube channel, here. Our speeches can be found at 16’20”, 31’15” and and 51’55”.