Creative Dialogue

Presentation

Throughout its eleven years of operation, the Creative Dialogue workshop has already united nearly one hundred composers and musicians from around the world.

Instrumentalists and composers usually study in the same educational institutions. Nonetheless, composition students rarely get the chance to work with musicians. Cellist Anssi Karttunen and composers Kaija Saariaho and Magnus Lindberg created the Creative Dialogue workshop concept in 2008 in collaboration with the Sibelius Academy to open up new horizons and create new dialogue between young artists. Since then, these workshops have been an integral part of international activities of the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.

The first six Creative Dialogue workshops were held at the Acequia Madre House in Santa Fe, United States. In 2015, the workshop was held for the first time in Finland at the Kallio-Kuninkala course center in Järvenpää. Since then, the Creative Dialogue has been organized alternatively  in Finland and the United States. The workshop helps students to network and work closely together and deepen their understanding of how the relationships between composers and performers have influenced the history of music. Over the years, the workshops have been taught by Anssi Karttunen, Kaija Saariaho and Magnus Lindberg and visiting teachers like flutist Chen Halevi and soprano Barbara Hannigan, among others.

Collaborating universities

• Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki
• Guildhall School of Music
• Conservatoire de Paris CNSM
• Conservatoire de Geneve
• Amsterdam Conservatory
• Oslo Conservatory
• Colburn School of Music
• Copenhagen Conservatory
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Butler School of Music, Univ. of Texas
• Eastman School of Music
• Indiana University
• Juilliard School of Music and Drama
• McGill University
• Mannes College of Music
• Manhattan School of Music
• New England Conservatory
• Northwestern University
• Royal Academy of Music (London)
• Yale School of Music
• University of California San Diego
• University of Minnesota School of Music

Teachers 2008-2019

• Anssi Karttunen, 2008 – 2012, 2014 – 2019
• Kaija Saariaho, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019
• Magnus Lindberg, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018
• Timo Korhonen, 2011
• Chen Halevi, 2012
• Barbara Hannigan, 2014
• Tuija Hakkila, 2015
• John Paul Jones, 2016
• David Poissonnier, 2017, 2018
• Daniel Belcher, 2019

Alumni

1. Matthew Barnson, Juilliard School of Music and Drama
2. Ben Hackbarth, University of California San Diego
3. Jouni Hirvelä, Sibelius Academy
4. Pasi Lyytikäinen, Sibelius Academy
5. Schuyler Tsuda, University of Minnesota School of Music
6. Andrew Bergmann, University of Minnesota School of Music
7. Bryan Jacobs, Columbia University
8. Yoshiaki Onishi, Columbia University
9. Yuan Peiying, Cornell University
10. Zosha Di Castri, Columbia University
11. Loren Loiacano, Cornell University
12. Taylor Brook, Columbia University
13. Juhani Vesikkala, Sibelius Academy
14. Cecile Marti, Guildhall School of Music 
15. Artur Akshelyan, Conservatoire de Geneve
16. Nina Young, Sibelius Academy
17. Walter Sallinen, Sibelius Academy
18. Jacob Landau, Juilliard School of Music and Drama
19. Gonzalo Bustos, Geneva Conservatory
20. Joseph Howard, Royal Academy of Music, London
21. Mioko Yokoyama, Sibelius Academy
22. Ashkan Behzadi, Columbia University
23. Nuño Fernández, Sibelius Academy
24. David Bird, säveltäjä, Columbia University, New York
25. 25. Sophya Polevaya, Royal Academy of Music, London
26. 26. Jonas Skaarud, Norwegian Music University, Oslo
27. Kaspar Querfurth, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
28. Meeri Pulakka, Sibelius Academy
29. Sinead White, McGill University
30. Will Bryan, Florida State University
31. Eirik Fosstveit, Norges Musikhøgskola 
32. Auroora Lahti-Hintsala, Sibelius Academy
33. Antoine Ouvrard, piano, Conservatoire de Paris
34. Tiffany Valvo Lopez
35. Carlos Cordeiro
36. Shi-Wen Fan
37. Veera Myllyniemi, Sibelius Academy
38. Rolf Haas, University of Minnesota School of Music
39. Tuuli Talvitie, Sibelius Academy
40. Lisa Romain, Mannes College of Music
41. Grace Youn, Butler School of Music
42. Miguel Colom, University of the Arts, Berlin
43. Yoonhee Lee, Amsterdam Conservatory
44. Wendy Toh, viulu, Eastman School of Music, Rochester
45. Danielle Daoukayeva, Royal Conservatory, Hague
46. Onni Toikka, Sibelius Academy
47. Ester Forsberg, Copenhagen Conservatory
48. Tim Hansson, Sibelius Academy
49. Molly Goldman, Eastman School of Music
50. David Medine,University of California San Diego
51. Olga Reskalenko, Sibelius Academy
52. Danika Paskvan, Juilliard School of Music and Drama
53. Zane Sturme, Det Konglige Danske Musikkonservatorium
54. Hannah Collins, Yale School of Music
55. Jacqueline Ludwig, New England Conservatory
56. Ashley Walters, University of California San Diego
57. Ramiro Alvarez, University of Michigan
58. Yotam Baruch, Indiana University
59. Kacy Clopton, New England Conservatory
60. Anton Kukkonen, Sibelius Academy
61. Mariel Roberts, Eastman School of Music
62. Caroline Stinson, Juilliard School of Music and Drama
63. Laura Usiskin, Yale School of Music
64. Hye-Yoon Choi, New England Conservatory
65. Shannon Hayden, Yale School of Music 
66. Francesco Mastromatteo, The Butler School of Music (Univ. of Texas)
67. Aleisha Verner, Juilliard School of Music and Drama
68. Joel Salvo, Minnesota School of Music
69. Hannah Addario-Berry, Friends of Sibelius Academy grant
70. Nathan Harrenstein, The Butler School of Music (University of Texas)
71. Jaani Helander, Sibelius Academy
72. Jonathan Lo, Eastman School of Music
73. Mo Mo, Yale School of Music
74. Oleksa Mucyk, Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University
75. Patrick McGuire, Juilliard School of Music and Drama

Photos from the past workshops

•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue IX workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue VIII workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue VII workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue VI workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue V workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue IV workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue III workshop
•     Watch photos from Creative Dialogue II workshop
•     Watch phoos from Creative Dialogue I workshop