Alum of the Year Maija Kauhanen: One-Woman Orchestra
Kantele artist, singer and composer Maija Kauhanen makes the most of the free nature of folk music. Kauhanen is one of the Uniarts Helsinki Alumni of the Year 2024.
Maija Kauhanen is one of Finland’s most successful folk musicians, who combines singing and kantele tradition with wild improvisation. When Kauhanen steps onto the stage, anything can happen. Embracing the moment is a skill she has consciously honed.
Kauhanen was drawn to the Saarijärvi kantele, a traditional Finnish stringed instrument, as a child. She lost part of her finger in an accident when she was one year old, but her music school teacher noted that she could still play the instrument just as well.
While the kantele remains Kauhanen’s main instrument, she has also played bagpipes, drums, flutes, violin, harmonium, goat horns and synthesizer, to name a few. In recent years, Kauhanen has been intrigued by wind chimes and enamel dishes, which she uses as percussion instruments on stage alongside the kantele and singing.
Kauhanen composes her own songs and often writes the lyrics for them, too. For her, the charm of folk music lies in its free nature. Because Kauhanen’s repertoire is so broad, she finds it difficult to define herself with a single word.
“I am a kantele artist, or simply an artist. I want to live freely and do what I enjoy every day, trying new things with amazing people. At the moment, I’m fascinated by multiarts,” she says.
Everything is connected
Kauhanen graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy of Uniarts Helsinki in 2015. Already during her studies, Kauhanen organised gigs and tours for herself and her projects and played in several bands to engage and experiment with various musical styles.
Music is her way of life, but Kauhanen nearly stopped playing the kantele entirely. During her second year of studies, Kauhanen went through an identity crisis and wondered if playing music was her own choice, or if she had just drifted into it by chance.
“Fortunately, the head of my department understood my situation and told me to go sit in the park with friends and just breathe. I quit kantele for six months and played melodica, flutes and piano. That’s when I realised that music is my thing, not just kantele,” she says.
The most important memories from her student days are related to everyday encounters and conversations with teachers and fellow students about music, art, and life in general. The friendships she formed back then in the school’s cafeterias and evening get-togethers still play a big part in her life.
“School isn’t a track to run through. I hope students continue to have time for discussions and making the world a better place. I try to tell my own students to share and ask for help and to help each other. I don’t know if I had managed without collegial support; this is a very tough field after all,” she says.
Making space for art
In 2017, Kauhanen released her first solo album, and she has since focused on making music under her own name. Alongside her solo career, Kauhanen works on collaborative projects internationally, and plays and sings in the electro-folk band Okra Playground, which she co-founded during her studies.
“As a solo artist, I get to decide everything myself. I don’t have to wait for anyone, and I can implement my ideas quickly. I often modify songs during gigs on a whim. On the other hand, nobody is there to rescue me if something unexpected happens on stage. But when I’ve done everything by myself, succeeding feels very satisfying,” she says.
Last year, Kauhanen was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize. The committee’s rationale stated that Kauhanen is an explosively strong, versatile one-woman orchestra who has carved out an impressive international career in a short space of time.
Kauhanen is pleased with the recognition she has received. It has also made her question whether she is giving the right things enough time in her life.
“You have to make space for your own art, no one else will do it for you. If you have an inner itch to do your own thing, you should listen to it. I’ve been lucky to do it a lot, and I’ve also received recognition for my art,” she says.
On the verge of something new
This year, Kauhanen has received funding from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. The grant has allowed her to work on new solo material and multi-artistic experiments. Kauhanen wants to create even more visual concert experiences, and now is the time.
In September, Kauhanen will realise a long-time dream at the Savoy Theatre in Helsinki, when she performs with a LED kantele that pulses to her music. Her father Kari Kauhanen built the instrument for the Ignes Fatui concert, and Pekko Mustonen created the LED lights.
The end-result is a musical, interactive experience that adapts to the space and the audience. To achieve this, Kauhanen has been exploring the theme of courage. She has asked herself whether she could give herself the permission to do whatever she pleases now and in the future.
“With my previous album, I worked through feelings of shame and shyness but on some level, I’m still learning to let go. I know that the more I can do that, the more it carries me. Going all in gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment,” Kauhanen says.
Text: Laura Iisalo
The selection of the Alumni of the Year is an annual recognition awarded to graduates of the three academies of Uniarts Helsinki. The award honours alumni who have significantly enhanced the unique value and role of arts and artist education in an exemplary manner through their work. The Alumni of the Year 2024 are young creators and professionals who stand out by seeing things differently and discovering new ways and connections for making art.
