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

Lauri Porra discusses composer’s work and career path, taking examples from his own career. Porra, who’s not only working as composer and musician, but also the artistic director of Turku Music Festival and Vantaa Orchestra, approaches the topic from the perspective of a curator, too.

Lauri Porra is an internationally  renowned composers and musician that has released five solo albums. Porra has composed music for orchestra, film, and media and his works have been performed by leading orchestras in the Nordic countries, Great Britain and United States. Porra is the bassist of Stratovarius band and has done multidisciplinary collaboration with i.a. Esko Valtaoja, Paula Vesala, and Paperi T.

Composer Juha T. Koskinen, October 2

Premiered 17th of October, 2024, in Alminsali, Finnish National Opera, the work Earthrise combines Baroque music from 17th century and music of our time. The core of the work consists of two songs composed by Anni Elif Egecioglu to a text by Aleksi Barrière that Juha T. Koskinen has arranged and orchestrated for a baroque ensemble.

Juha T. Koskinen is a composer working to renew the tradition of music theatre, interested in confluences of different cultures and eras. He has worked as visiting professor of composition in Aichi University of the Arts, Japan.

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!