Lec­ture Se­ries on Mu­sic of Our Time

Lecture series on music of our time consist of visits of composers and other artists discussing their practice, works, and questions related to these.

Five public lectures are held in the auditorium of Helsinki Music Centre on Thursdays at 1:15 to 2:45 PM. Lectures will be held in English. 

Composer Aino Tenkanen, September 18

Composer Aino Tenkanen discusses use of performative elements in her work What it is to play? (2018-2023) for prepared piano, prepared violin, electronics, wine glasses, and participating audience.

Aino Tenkanen is a freelance composer, graduated a Master of Music degree at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki in 2020, whose works have been described as playful, unruly, and carefully made. She’s interested in multidisciplinary collaboration, improvisation and creating electronic sound on acoustic instruments.

Composer Lauri Porra, September 25

Pathfinding and surviving as a composer in 2025.

Composer Juha T. Koskinen, October 2

Collaboration and shared authorship in music theatre work Earthrise.

Fultist, researcher Livia Schweizer, November 6

On non-conventional notation as a tool for fostering creativity.

Composer, performer Piere Jodlowski, December 11

Body without organs, an approach of interdisciplinary composition.

www.pierrejodlowski.com

Changes are possible.

Further information: Niilo Tarnanen, niilo.tarnanen@uniarts.fi

Lec­ture Se­ries on Mu­sic of Our Time

Lecture series on the Music of Our Time is a study module of the Study Programme of Composition and Music Theory at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, that gathers interesting domestic and international composers and other artists reflect their new works and their practice. 

The Thursday afternoon lecture series was already launched in the 1960s under the name composition seminar. New compositions were talked publically and there was polemic discussion concerning them. The current name ’Aikamme musiikin luentosarja’ was established in the 1980s. 

Several composers from Finland and abroad have gave visiting lecture in the series, such as Aulis Sallinen, Magnus Lindberg, Kaija Saariaho, Kalevi Aho, Jukka Tiensuu, Olli Mustonen, DJ Orkidea etc. Among international guests, there have been i.a. Krzysztof Penderecki, John Adams, Steve Reich, Chaya Czernowin, Per Nørgård, Louis Andriessen, Mark Andre, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Phill Niblock, Brett Dean, Sunleif Rasmussen and Tom Johnson. 

Alongside composers, many other professionals of contemporary music and art, musicians, writers, visual artist, directors and choreographers have discussed their work. Among these are writer Veijo Meri, neurologist Matti Bergström, violinist Pekka Kuusisto, and docent in Japanese esthetics Minna Eväsoja. 

During all these years the lecture series has been hosted i.a. professors Einojuhani Rautavaara and Paavo Heininen, lecturers Tapani Länsiö, Juhani Nuorvala and Riikka Talvitie, and composers Pasi Lyytikäinen and Matthew Whittall. Currently it is curated by composer, permanent part time teacher in music theory Niilo Tarnanen. 

Welcome to discuss recent topics of contemporary music!