Taidepiste: Crossing borders
Kaija Saariaho, Valtteri Raekallio, Paula Vesala, and Jukka Viikilä discuss crossing borders in art.
What kinds of borders can we cross in art and through art? How can we challenge strong traditions or the loud mainstream? What can we find on the other side of the border?
On 18 October 2022, four artists from different fields will visit Taidepiste to discuss what kinds of borders they have crossed in their art and how they discover their most interesting ideas. Guest speakers will be composer Kaija Saariaho, dancer and choreographer Valtteri Raekallio, singer and actor Paula Vesala and author Jukka Viikilä. The discussion will be lead by cultural journalist Pia-Maria Lehtola. The event will take place in the Main Foyer of the Helsinki Music Centre, and it will be live streamed on Uniarts Helsinki’s YouTube channel.
After the discussion, soprano and student of Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy Olivia Moss will perform the piece Lonh (1996), composed by Kaija Saariaho. Lonh deals with the basic themes of humanity – love, death, leaving and longing. The title means “faraway” or “distance” in the Occitan language. The piece loosely follows a poetic meter and is divided into nine parts. In the electronic part, the text will be heard in three languages and is presented by Jacques Roubaud (Provençal; Occitan), Jean-Baptiste Barrière (French) and Dawn Upshaw (English).
Unfortunately the performance by viola player Vuokko Lahtinen, Vent Nocturnes composed by Kaija Saariaho, has been cancelled due to technical issues.
Taidepiste is Uniarts Helsinki’s event series, which explores social phenomena through multidisciplinary discussions and art experiences that are free and open to the public. The events are organised on weekday evenings about once a month in varying locations and live streamed on Uniarts Helsinki’s YouTube channel. High-quality recordings of the Taidepiste events are also available for later viewing on YouTube. The event series is sponsored by the Louise and Göran Ehrnrooth Foundation. Read more about the Taidepiste event series.
The event is part of composer Kaija Saariaho’s 70th birthday celebrations, which will feature performances in various venues in Finland in October 2022.
More information about the guests
Valtteri Raekallio is an award-winning dance artist, one of the most significant Finnish choreographers of his generation and the artistic director of the dance company Raekallio Corp. He explores various art forms and media in his work, and he has become known for his dance films, collaborations with Finnish writers, large-scale immersive performances and uncompromisingly distinctive stage pieces. Raekallio’s career as a dancer extends over 20 years, and he has performed in about 100 pieces in 40 different countries together with international choreographers and major Finnish figures in the world of dance. Raekallio has also worked as a teacher and lecturer for several institutions and organisations in the field.
Kaija Saariaho is one of the most internationally successful Finnish composers. In a recent vote arranged by the BBC, contemporary composers ranked Saariaho the greatest living composer in the world. Saariaho is, in fact, regarded as one of the world’s most original contemporary composers, and her works are continuously performed around the globe. Saariaho has built a reputation for her sophisticated orchestration and slowly evolving, dreamlike soundscapes. Saariaho’s opera titled Innocence will be performed at the Finnish National Opera in autumn 2022.
Paula Vesala is a singer, songwriter, actor and dramaturge. Vesala’s music is a combination of artistic integrity and pop hits enjoyed by the masses and featured on lists of the most played songs on the radio and on streaming platforms. In addition to her successful music career, Vesala has also acted and worked as a dramaturge and writer for movies and various pieces in performing arts in recent years. Vesala began her studies at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy and later graduated as a dramaturge from the Theatre Academy, and in 2022, she was selected as one of Uniarts Helsinki’s Alumni of the Year.
Jukka Viikilä is an author, poet and dramaturge. Viikilä has won the Finlandia Prize for Fiction twice – first for his debut novel Akvarelleja Engelin kaupungista in 2016 and then for his second novel Taivaallinen vastaanotto in 2021. Viikilä has also published two poem collections, titled Runoja (2008) and Runoja II (2010). Viikilä has worked as a dramaturge for theatres such as Ryhmäteatteri and the Finnish National Theatre, and his writing CV also includes four radio plays for the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, the script for a dance piece by Susanna Leinonen Company and lyrics and music video scripts for songs by various Finnish artists.
Pia-Maria Lehtola is a host and journalist for the culture-themed radio show Kulttuuriykkönen on Yle Radio 1. Her special interests include fine arts, cultural history, fashion and design. She has written two interior design books about the villas in Hanko. She has spent longer periods near Avignon, and she draws inspiration from the French culture.
Olivia Moss is currently working towards her Vocal Master’s degree at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, studying with Outi Kähkönen. She was awarded Second Prize in the Helsinki Lied Competition 2021, alongside her duo partner Kumi Shimozaki and she was a finalist in the International Sing Finzi Competition 2021. Olivia was also awarded The Gus Christie Award 2018 from Glyndebourne, an honour given to support a young singer with exceptional promise. This Autumn, Olivia will sing the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Sibelius Academy Opera and in two concerts for Saariaho’s 70th birthday festival.
What kinds of borders can we cross in art and through art? How can we challenge strong traditions or the loud mainstream? What can we find on the other side of the border?
On 18 October 2022, four artists from different fields will visit Taidepiste to discuss what kinds of borders they have crossed in their art and how they discover their most interesting ideas. Guest speakers will be composer Kaija Saariaho, dancer and choreographer Valtteri Raekallio, singer and actor Paula Vesala and author Jukka Viikilä. The discussion will be lead by cultural journalist Pia-Maria Lehtola. The event will take place in the Main Foyer of the Helsinki Music Centre, and it will be live streamed on Uniarts Helsinki’s YouTube channel.
After the discussion, soprano and student of Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy Olivia Moss will perform the piece Lonh (1996), composed by Kaija Saariaho. Lonh deals with the basic themes of humanity – love, death, leaving and longing. The title means “faraway” or “distance” in the Occitan language. The piece loosely follows a poetic meter and is divided into nine parts. In the electronic part, the text will be heard in three languages and is presented by Jacques Roubaud (Provençal; Occitan), Jean-Baptiste Barrière (French) and Dawn Upshaw (English).
Unfortunately the performance by viola player Vuokko Lahtinen, Vent Nocturnes composed by Kaija Saariaho, has been cancelled due to technical issues.
Taidepiste is Uniarts Helsinki’s event series, which explores social phenomena through multidisciplinary discussions and art experiences that are free and open to the public. The events are organised on weekday evenings about once a month in varying locations and live streamed on Uniarts Helsinki’s YouTube channel. High-quality recordings of the Taidepiste events are also available for later viewing on YouTube. The event series is sponsored by the Louise and Göran Ehrnrooth Foundation. Read more about the Taidepiste event series.
The event is part of composer Kaija Saariaho’s 70th birthday celebrations, which will feature performances in various venues in Finland in October 2022.
More information about the guests
Valtteri Raekallio is an award-winning dance artist, one of the most significant Finnish choreographers of his generation and the artistic director of the dance company Raekallio Corp. He explores various art forms and media in his work, and he has become known for his dance films, collaborations with Finnish writers, large-scale immersive performances and uncompromisingly distinctive stage pieces. Raekallio’s career as a dancer extends over 20 years, and he has performed in about 100 pieces in 40 different countries together with international choreographers and major Finnish figures in the world of dance. Raekallio has also worked as a teacher and lecturer for several institutions and organisations in the field.
Kaija Saariaho is one of the most internationally successful Finnish composers. In a recent vote arranged by the BBC, contemporary composers ranked Saariaho the greatest living composer in the world. Saariaho is, in fact, regarded as one of the world’s most original contemporary composers, and her works are continuously performed around the globe. Saariaho has built a reputation for her sophisticated orchestration and slowly evolving, dreamlike soundscapes. Saariaho’s opera titled Innocence will be performed at the Finnish National Opera in autumn 2022.
Paula Vesala is a singer, songwriter, actor and dramaturge. Vesala’s music is a combination of artistic integrity and pop hits enjoyed by the masses and featured on lists of the most played songs on the radio and on streaming platforms. In addition to her successful music career, Vesala has also acted and worked as a dramaturge and writer for movies and various pieces in performing arts in recent years. Vesala began her studies at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy and later graduated as a dramaturge from the Theatre Academy, and in 2022, she was selected as one of Uniarts Helsinki’s Alumni of the Year.
Jukka Viikilä is an author, poet and dramaturge. Viikilä has won the Finlandia Prize for Fiction twice – first for his debut novel Akvarelleja Engelin kaupungista in 2016 and then for his second novel Taivaallinen vastaanotto in 2021. Viikilä has also published two poem collections, titled Runoja (2008) and Runoja II (2010). Viikilä has worked as a dramaturge for theatres such as Ryhmäteatteri and the Finnish National Theatre, and his writing CV also includes four radio plays for the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, the script for a dance piece by Susanna Leinonen Company and lyrics and music video scripts for songs by various Finnish artists.
Pia-Maria Lehtola is a host and journalist for the culture-themed radio show Kulttuuriykkönen on Yle Radio 1. Her special interests include fine arts, cultural history, fashion and design. She has written two interior design books about the villas in Hanko. She has spent longer periods near Avignon, and she draws inspiration from the French culture.
Olivia Moss is currently working towards her Vocal Master’s degree at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, studying with Outi Kähkönen. She was awarded Second Prize in the Helsinki Lied Competition 2021, alongside her duo partner Kumi Shimozaki and she was a finalist in the International Sing Finzi Competition 2021. Olivia was also awarded The Gus Christie Award 2018 from Glyndebourne, an honour given to support a young singer with exceptional promise. This Autumn, Olivia will sing the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Sibelius Academy Opera and in two concerts for Saariaho’s 70th birthday festival.