Cooperation with clarinetist Lucy Abrams Oct 12, 2018 Lucy Abrams performs Markku Klami's TWIRL in Lithuania and Finland Last spring I was delighted to receive an e-mail from clarinetist Lucy Abrams about her plans for her upcoming postgraduate recital at Sibelius Academy of University of Arts in Helsinki. As a part of her recital program she will perform my solo clarinet piece TWIRL alongside other clarinet pieces by Finnish and American composers. Last June Lucy interviewed me for her artistic research and we ended up discussing a variety of subjects on music and also the piece in question, TWIRL. We rehearsed the piece in August, after which Lucy performed TWIRL as a part of her lecture recital at Doctors in Performance Conference at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in Vilnius, Lithuania in September. During October and November Lucy will again perform TWIRL, first in Kerava and then in her first postgraduate recital at Helsinki Music Centre in November. For a composer, working with musicians is a vital part of our profession – I would even argue it’s one of the cornerstones of our existence. I’m delighted to have my music performed by stellar musicians such as Lucy. Looking forward to the upcoming performances! If you are around Helsinki on November 13, feel free to attend her concert! Be sure to check these links as well: Our interview from June 2018 Lucy’s lecture at Doctors in Performance Conference < Back to News

The first ever large-scale puppet opera in the Nordic countries premieres on March 9, 2018 Mar 6, 2018 The puppet opera "Croak – Or The Unexpected Joys And Perils of Singing" will premiere at Pori Opera on March 9, 2018 The opera Croak – Or The Unexpected Joys And Perils of Singing will premiere at Promenadi Hall in Pori on Friday 9th of March 2018 The opera was written by composers Markku Klami and Maria Kallionpää , and the Pori Sinfonietta orchestra will be led by conductor Nils Schweckendiek . All in all, five soloists, seven puppeteers and thirty puppets along with the Pori Opera Choir will take to the stage during the shows. Croak is a tragic musical fantasy about love, the gift of song, and about the responsibility brought on by talent. Mikhail Brashinsky’s libretto draws its inspiration from the wisdom of classic fairytales. Croak is directed by Anna Ivanova-Brashinskaya , who has worked extensively both as a director and a teacher to promote the art of puppeteering in Finland. The puppets, costumes and the set are designed by Viktor Antonov . The composers Markku Klami and Maria Kallionpää , director Anna Ivanova-Brashinskaya and conductor Nils Schweckendiek were all intrigued by the many layers concealed within the realm of the puppet opera. When working on the score, the composers considered the unique voice qualities of all the soloist, and the musical landscape and the set visuals were created in close interaction with all the artists. In the rehearsals earlier this year, there was a palpable spirit of enthusiasm and curiosity, which came in handy resolving the surprises of the cross-disciplinary collaboration. Croak is set to renew both the opera tradition and the art of puppeteering. The music, the visuals and the choreography have all been made for a contemporary audience. The dialogue between the art forms brings fresh and expressive perspective to the ancient theme of longing for love. The Croak soloists are soprano Anna-Kristiina Kaappola , tenor Joonas Eloranta , countertenor Teppo Lampela , mezzosoprano Merja Mäkelä , and bass-baritone Jouni Kokora . The puppeteers on stage are Johanna Kultala , Maria-Elina Koivula , Anna Nekrassova , Jenni Rutanen , Riina Tikkanen , Lotta Virtanen , and Paula Vilmi . The assistant diretor is Roosa Halme , and the opera was choreographed by Tatiana Gordeeva . The rehearsals of the Pori Opera Choir were led by Ognian Vassilev . The Croak Opera is produced in cooperation with the Pori Opera and the Mixed-Art Association Poike, with Heli Latvala and Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo as executive producers. Croak on Facebook Croak on Instagram < Back to News

into the deep peace Mixed choir Composed: 2021 Watch / listen Markku Klami: into the deep peace Voices of Earth Audite Chamber Choir, conducted by Jani Sivén World premiere recording Alba Records (2026) Voices of Earth Podcast Podcast produced by Mimmu Kyrönseppä, hosted by Julia Korkman The second episode of the series explores Markku Klami’s work into the deep peace . Julia Korkman hosts the discussion, joined by composer Finn Shields . A short excerpt from Klami’s piece is featured mid-episode, recorded live at the Voices of Earth concert by Audite Chamver Choir in Taulumäki Church, Jyväskylä, on February 11, 2023. Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Mixed choir Duration: 14 minutes Movements / sections I. The heat II. The night wind III. The daybreak Text John Muir (selections from My First Summer in the Sierra, adapted by the composer) Commission / dedications Commissioned by Audite Chamber Choir with funding from Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation First performance Audite Chamber Choir, cond. Jani Sivén, 30th Anniversary tour of Audite Chamber Choir, light design by Ainu Palmu, Old Academy Building, Turku, Finland, November 12, 2022 Reflections Concert review, published on Kuoromusiikin Kausikonsertit by Tove Djupsjöbacka April 11, 2023 into the deep peace took off as if from thin, quivering air and the landscape was calmly built both horizontally and vertically – I saw both mountains and the horizon and mighty trees in front of me. The upper notes conjured up the night sky and the beautiful, stable fifths created the impression of peace. Composer's Notes into the deep peace is based on selections of texts from John Muir's 1869 travel memoir My First Summer in the Sierra , published in 1911. into the deep peace was commissioned by Audite Chamber Choir for their 30th anniversary, and is dedicated to them and their conductor, Jani Sivén. The commissioner's wish was that the music would focus on a nature-related theme. This was a pleasant starting point for me, as nature in particular has for long played an ever-increasing role as a source of ideas for me. Almost immediately I decided to set the music to texts inspired by the diverse nature of the State of California. It didn't take me long to think of writings by John Muir. While reading his travel memoir My First Summer in the Sierra, a series of fond memories of my honeymoon trip to California and Nevada in October 2018 came to my mind. In the midst of ever-increasing rush and disruptions of the way of life in the Western culture, my wife and I managed to completely detach ourselves from the exhausting everyday life and enjoy each other's company in the vivid pulse of the big cities and intoxicating peace of the nature. The vastness and endlessness of the Pacific Ocean, the wilderness of the sun-burned deserts, the canyon scenery and the mountains of the Sierra Nevada impressed me forever. My perhaps clichéd experience of feeling very small affected me strongly in the Giant forest of the Sequoia National Park, near to the southern end of Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. This rather small area of around 1880 acres is the home to five of the world's ten largest trees. The famous inhabitants of the forest, the Giant sequoias, are among the oldest surviving trees on earth. While wandering around the Giant forest and standing at the foot of these trees, which reach up to the heights of a 14-story building, time disappeared. I felt as if these old giants were peacefully watching us in their sanctuary almost two kilometers above the sea level. The experience was tremendous, and absolutely sacred. These giants have survived many ordeals during their lives spanning over 3000 years, and they may well continue to live for another 1000 years, if we people allow them to do so. into the deep peace is my humble tribute to the nature, its endless diversity and beauty – a terrestrial eternity, as John Muir so aptly writes in his travel memoir. The title of the work is derived from a sentence in Muir's travel memoir, dated July 11, 1869: ”Sauntered up the meadow about sundown, out of sight of camp and sheep and all human mark, into the deep peace of the solemn old woods, everything glowing with Heaven’s unquenchable enthusiasm.” < Back to Music

Patrik Kleemola gives the YouTube premiere of Klami's Etudes for guitar Sep 24, 2021 A 10-week release event of Markku Klami's Etudes for guitar (2021) begins on Monday, September 27, 2021 and will run until Monday, November 29, 2021 on Patrik Kleemola's YouTube channel. A 10-week release event of Markku Klami's Etudes for guitar (2021) begins on Monday, September 27, 2021 and will run until Monday, November 29, 2021 on Patrik Kleemola's YouTube channel. An introduction video to the Etudes project with Patrik Kleemola and Markku Klami, released on YouTube on September 20, 2021. Welcome to follow the YouTube premiere of Markku Klami’s Etudes for guitar on Mondays at 7pm (UTC+03), beginning on September 27 and continuing until November 29, 2021 on guitarist Patrik Kleemola’s YouTube channel . On Monday, September 20, 2021 Klami and Kleemola released an introduction video to the Etudes project. Each Monday from September 27 until November 29, 2021, a new video performance of the 10 etudes will be released on YouTube, coupled with a discussion video with Kleemola and Klami, where they talk about the pedagogical and musical aspect of the pieces. This also gives a glimpse into the cooperation between the musician and the composer – which may usually remain obscure to a wider audience. Patrik Kleemola performs Etudes series on his YouTube Channel Etudes for guitar continues Klami’s long collaboration with Kleemola. The initial idea for a set of new etudes for guitar came up in a conversation Klami had with Kleemola back in 2017. In addition to Kleemola’s career as a guitarist and Klami’s career as a composer of contemporary music, they both have a long working experience as educators. Kleemola gives tuition in guitar playing at the Turku Conservatory of Music and Turku Music Institute, and Klami gives tuition in composition and music theory at the Helsinki Conservatory of Music, the Espoo Music Institute and the East Helsinki Music Institute. Kleemola’s and Klami’s mutual point of view was that contemporary music doesn’t play a substantial part in the repertoire of students in music institutes. In fact, the vast and rich oeuvre of today’s composers is something that students only come across during their academic studies in music. As Kleemola and Klami see it, the situation is more or less the same around the world. Their wish was to address this issue and contribute to the availability of contemporary music in the repertoires of students, also younger students. Although Etudes is pedagogically designed to target different playing techniques—both traditional and unconventional—Klami’s aim was just as much to compose pieces that would be suitable for concert use by students and professional guitarists alike. The result is a collection of ten etudes covering a wealth of moods, styles and sonic possibilities of a solo guitar. The technical difficulty level increases gradually as one progress through the etudes. The first etudes are suitable for younger and more experienced students alike, whereas the last etudes are primarily targeted at professional guitarists and students pursuing their professional degree in music. Sheet music for Klami’s Etudes is available from Edition Wilhelm Hansen (part of Wise Music Classical). Patrik Kleemola’s website: www.patrikkleemola.com < Back to News

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