The music of Finland can be roughly divided into folk music, classical and contemporary art music, and contemporary popular music.
Kaija Anneli Saariaho was a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the BBC, the New York Philharmonic, the Salzburg Music Festival, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Finnish National Opera, among others. In a 2019 composers' poll by BBC Music Magazine, Saariaho was ranked the greatest living composer.
Erkki Gustaf Melartin was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most significant national Romantic composers, although his music—then and now—largely has been overshadowed by that of his contemporary, Jean Sibelius, the country's most famous composer. The core of Melartin's oeuvre consists of a set of six (completed) symphonies, as well as is his opera, Aino, based on a story from the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, but nevertheless in the style of Richard Wagner.
Osmo Tapio Everton Räihälä is a Finnish composer of contemporary music. He has written chamber music, vocal and electronic music, as well as several concertos and a few works for symphony orchestra.
The International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) is an annual forum organized by the International Music Council that offers broadcasting representatives the opportunity to exchange and publicize pieces of contemporary classical music. It is funded by contributions from participating national radio networks.
Anssi Karttunen is a Finnish cellist.
Jukka Santeri Tiensuu is a Finnish contemporary classical composer, harpsichordist, pianist and conductor.
Ondine is a Finnish classical record label founded in 1985 in Helsinki, Finland. Its catalogue with several award-winning releases includes over 600 titles with major Finnish and international artists.
La Passion de Simone is an oratorio composed by Kaija Saariaho to a libretto in French by Amin Maalouf, first premiered in a staging by Peter Sellars. The work, subtitled "a musical journey in 15 stations", centers on the life and writings of Simone Weil and was conceived in the Passion Play tradition with episodes in her life linked to the Stations of the Cross. It is composed for SATB chorus, soprano soloist, spoken voice, orchestra and electronic instruments.
Tomi Räisänen is a Finnish composer.
Kairos is an Austrian record label that specializes in contemporary classical music. Its recordings have received multiple awards, including the Diapason d'Or. It was founded by Barbara Fränzen and Peter Oswald in 1999, and in 2015, became part of Paladino Media, a company owned by Austrian cellist Martin Rummel. The label's main cover artists are Jakob Gasteiger, Erwin Bohatsch, and Enrique Fuentes.
The Avanti! Chamber Orchestra is a Finnish ensemble that focuses on contemporary music. The ensemble when it performs varies in size from a solo player to a symphony orchestra. Avanti! Chamber Orchestra won the Gramophone Prize with their first recording. The Orchestra also holds a music festival of its own each summer.
Kirsten Soriano was born April 19, 1979. She is an American composer from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Her music has been performed by the Kronos Quartet string quartet, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW Ensemble, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Crossing choral ensemble, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente and the Jack Quartet string quartet. In 2013, she was appointed assistant professor at the University of North Texas and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2020. She has served as director of undergraduate studies in the college of music at the University of North Texas since 2018.
Rock Painting was the first album of the Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä, released in 2006. The music on the album is performed by the Uusinta Chamber Ensemble. The album consists of seven works, written between 1997 and 2004.
Peat, Smoke & Seaweed Storm is the second album of the Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä, released in 2014. The music on the album is performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and two solo performers, the French horn player Jukka Harju and the pianist Matilda Kärkkäinen. The album consists of five works, written between 1999 and 2012. The opening track on the album, Barlinnie Nine, is a "musical portrait" of the Scottish ex-football player and Everton cult hero, Duncan Ferguson. The last track, Ardbeg is a "musical landscape" of the Inner Hebrides island Islay, and an hommage to its single malt whisky tradition, and in particular Ardbeg.
Sebastian Fagerlund is a Finnish composer. He is described as “a post-modern impressionist whose sound landscapes can be heard as ecstatic nature images which, however, are always inner images, landscapes of the mind”. Echoes of Western culture, Asian musical traditions, and heavy metal have all been detected in his music.
Barlinnie Nine is a single-movement orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä. The work was premiered by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Sakari Oramo on 20 April 2005 at Finlandia Hall.
The Helsinki Chamber Choir is a Helsinki-based professional chamber choir that specializes in performing contemporary music and new commissions. It was founded in 2005 by the singers of the Finnish Radio Chamber Choir to continue its work after its funding was cut. The choir has been directed by Nils Schweckendiek since 2007.
