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Spot Light -archive
Baritone Petteri Salomaa in the role of Ulysse at the Drottningholm Slottsteater
Stylish mezzosoprano Tiina-Maija Koskela
Radiant Sopranos
Musica nova Helsinki - Focus Finlandia 2007
Tom Nyman in a dream role for a lyric tenor
Ilmiliekki to tour England
Festium jazz group leaders interviews each others
Soprano Helena Juntunen acclaimed in Vienna
Saxophonist Joonatan Rautiola wins the 2006 Josef Kaartinen Award
Countertenor Teppo Lampela
Sysmän Suvisoitto
Pianist Laura Mikkola
BARITONE PETTERI SALOMAA
Ulysses returns to Drottningholms Slottsteater
 Drottningholms Slottsteater, the beauty of the North that slumbered like Sleeping Beauty for one hundred years, has been preparing for a premiere. Claudio Monteverdi’s opera “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria”, The Return of Ulysses to His Country, which he composed in 1640, was premiered at the theatre on Saturday 26 July 2008 . The stage of the 18th century theatre building, which has been preserved almost in its original state, came alive with dark Baroque costumes and Monteverdi’s expressive music. The role of Ulisse, i.e. Ulysses, was sung by the baritone Petteri Salomaa and the role of Penelope was taken by the well-known Swedish mezzo-soprano and Baroque specialist Ann Hallenberg. The production was directed by Johanna Garpe, with Drottningholm’s artistic director Mark Tatlow conducting. The costumes have been designed by Karin Erskine.
The story is a moving one. Ulysses’ faithful wife, Penelope, has waited for the return of her heroic husband for 20 years. When he finally returns, it is difficult for anyone to believe, for suitors and servants alike, not to mention Ulysses himself; it is also difficult for Penelope. Who is the man who has returned to her? Above the surprised throng, the course of events is being directed by the noble gods of antiquity, but who are nevertheless much like the people.
The director Johanna Garpe wanted to bring out in the tale of Ulysses its dimensions that speak to us today. How do we find those who are close to us after many years? Would we dare to love someone even though life has tossed us about like a shipwrecked war hero? Do Ulysses and Penelope have the courage to face what they have lost, are they brave enough to face a new future, and are we?
The Return of Ulysses has come to symbolise a return in many different respects. The work has only been performed in Sweden once previously as a concert version and is now being performed again after a break of 40 years. Monteverdi’s L’ Orfeo was performed at Drottningholm last summer, so Monteverdi is also returning to the programme. The baritone Petteri Salomaa performed frequently at Drottingholms Slottsteater during the 80s and 90s and he is also now returning after a long absence to a familiar and cherished stage. Salomaa has also performed the most number of times at Drottningholm as a visiting soloist and in recognition of this the King of Sweden has awarded him an honorary medal of the Friends of the Drottningholms Slottsteater.
Svenska Dagbladet, 23 July 2008: Some stage photos of production
Radio Broadcastings: SR P2, 9 August 2008 (live from stage, via internet)
WDR 3, 23 August, 2008
* Monteverdi’s work The Return of Ulysses has never been performed in Finland. The production being performed at Drottningholm has been abridged by the conductor and the director. The performance lasts 2 hours and 40 minutes and the subtitling is in Swedish. The premiere was on 26 July 2008 and the final performance on 9 August will be broadcast live on radio (Sveriges Radio P2) and can also be heard over the Internet. There will be a total of seven performances.
Stylish Mezzo-soprano
TIINA-MAIJA KOSKELA ENJOYS PERFORMING
 “Of course you need positive tension, but the final competition at Lappeenranta was also challenge that I was able to enjoy. It was wonderful to be able to sing arias with the Lappeenranta City Orchestra under the baton of Jan Söderblomin.” (Helsingin Sanomat 8.1.2008/Lampila)
Tiina-Maija Koskela, winner of the women’s section of the Lappeenranta Singing Competition, radiated peace and serenity in the final competition as her lustrous mezzo-soprano soared. Her competition trunk had been packed with care; Tiina-Maija Koskela has a multifaceted musical background. She started studying the piano and via a detour with the French horn ended up playing the bassoon, which became her most important instrument for many years. Tiina-Maija’s love of singing took hold in the Seinäjoki Girls’ Choir, whose director saw the young girl blossom into a beautiful young woman. It was Helena Porkka-Lintala, vocal teacher at the South Ostrobothnia Music Institute, who discovered her vocal talents and who kindled the desire to sing as a soloist. To Koskela’s own amazement, she was one of the few to be accepted to study at the Sibelius Academy: “I remember the first time I stepped foot inside the R Building of the Sibelius Academy on Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu. It had a good smell and I knew then that I belong here,” says Koskela in an interview with the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper (Lampila, 8 January 2008).
Her competition trunk also contained the necessary technical tools for success, which she had accumulated over the years with the help of Koskela’s long-time vocal teacher, the opera singer Seppo Ruohonen. Professor Ruohonen has allowed the mezzo-soprano to develop in the direction that suits her best and at her own pace. That direction is also clear: from Seinäjoki to the heart of Europe. Koskela was tempted to study in Brussels by the esteemed lied teacher Udo Reineman, who has also been a frequent visitor to Finland. Koskela still dashes to Seinäjoki every now and then to perform, because the ties to her home district in Ostrobothnia are strong.
This spring it will be time to say farewell to the Sibelius Academy. We already know where this future Master of Music who enjoys performing belongs. Now it is time to share with the public the talents this wonderful mezzo-soprano has brought with her in her trunk: Dorabella, Charlotte, Mercedes, Suzuki, Bersi, Meg Page, Sesto and Berlioz’s Marguerite.
RADIANT SOPRANOS
 The luminous Helena Juntunen will be representing Finland at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, which is considered by many to be the most highly respected competition for singers in the world. The event, which generates extensive publicity, starts on June 9 in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Helena will fly to the competition venue directly from Minnesota where she will be singing in Mahler’s second symphony, which will be conducted by Osmo Vänskä.
Helena will be coming to Finland after the competition in Cardiff, and audiences will be able to hear her at events such as the Kajaani Poetry Weeks, the Sonkajärvi Soi Festival, the anniversary concert of the Savonlinna Opera Festival, the Turku Music Festival and the Organ Night and Aria Festival in Espoo. Conductor Osmo Vänskä and Helena will be reunited for a second time in London, this time with the Sinfonia Lahti, for the Proms festival in concert number 42, which will be broadcast live over the Internet on BBC Radio 3.
 The highlight of the summer premieres in Finland will be Isän Tyttö (Daddy’s girl) by Olli Kortekangas, which will receive its premiere on 7 July 2007 at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. The work was commissioned in honour of the centenary of the Finnish Parliament. Isän Tyttö tells the story of Anna, a woman who is part of the baby boom generation, and her mother, Siiri, and daughter, Vera, and of their choices, achievements and successes. The opera also tells the story of the men in their lives: their partners, sons and beloved fathers. Isän Tyttö will be conducted by Markus Lehtinen. The composer, Olli Kortekangas, talks about the stages of the opera’s composition in the Finnish magazine Suomen Kuvalehti.
The role of Vera, Anna’s daughter, will be sung by Ilona Jokinen, who made her debut in Savonlinna last summer as the Young Shepherd in Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser. Ilona Jokinen’s series of debuts will continue in the autumn when she takes on the role of Frasquita in the Finnish National Opera’s new production of Carmen.
 The popular opera Carmen will also be featured on the programme this summer at Savonlinna, with the role of Frasquita being undertaken by the scintillating soprano Sirkka Lampimäki. The high point for Sirkka Lampimäki this autumn will be her role as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, which has its premiere at the Estonian National Opera on 7 November 2007. Before this, Sirkka will be competing in Strasbourg in June and in October in the first International Sibelius Singing Competition in Järvenpää. In December, Sirkka will also be giving a series of recital concerts in Mexico and Japan.
 Oulu Opera will be premiering Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann on 7 September 2007. Three sopranos comprise the object of Hoffmann’s love and passion: a mechanical doll, a singer suffering from consumption and a courtesan. The role of Giulietta will be performed by Minttu Pesu who has returned to Finland from Germany. During her years in Germany, Minttu has been fortunate to acquire an extensive repertoire in operetta, to which her voice beautifully lends itself. From vocal inflection to physical exertion: the Tales of Hoffman to be performed in Oulu will be choreographed by the renowned Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen. In Oulu it will not so much be a case of Celebrity Come Dancing, but dancing with radiant sopranos.
* Toi! Toi! Toi! is a wish for luck that opera singers say to each other before the performance on the first night.
MUSICA NOVA HELSINKI - Focus Finlandia, 10 - 17 March 2007
The greetings from Heikki Valsta, Artistic Coordinator of Musica nova Helsinki, begin with the following words: “Professional music people and friends from abroad often express their admiration and praise for Finnish musical life and composers. And not without reason. Our active interest in music is both extremely widespread and of a very high standard, and despite being a small nation, we have an incredible number of internationally acclaimed composers and artists.” We could also add to this that the admiration and praise elicited by Finland’s lively festivals activity, of which Musica nova Helsinki, originally called Helsinki Biennale, with its 25-year history is an excellent example.
The festival, which previously focused on presenting foreign modern music to a Finnish audience, is this year turning is gaze towards Finnish culture: Focus Finlandia. It is not difficult to find many good reasons for this, such as the 90th anniversary of the declaration of Finnish independence, the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Sibelius Academy and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra which are among the most important musical institutions in Finnish musical life and the chief organisers of the festival. In addition, the Korvat auki! [Ears open!] society celebrates its 30th anniversary. The festival’s programme contains a record number of compositions that will be premiered for the first time. Mr. Valsta also encourages audiences to support “local produce and sustainable development”, and so do we: The table has been laid!
The festival's offering includes:
Fitness Light Opera, composed by Kirmo Lintinen, baritone Riku Pelo as Tero
“This “light” opera is about spare tyres, junk food, yearning for love and the right to be accepted for what one is in the society.”
Focus Perttu Haapanen – “The Ladies Room” ao., soprano Helena Juntunen
“The Ladies Room is a suite for soprano and chamber orchestra looking in many directions. It asks the classical question ‘Why sing?’ from the perspective of a psychodrama, as a means of counteracting the orchestra. The texts, on such topics as strip cartoons, sickness and neuroses, are taken from the Bible, the archives of Scotland Yard, Jutta Seppinen, Paul Celan and Google.” – Perttu Haapanen
Focus Paavo Heininen - "Suomalainen laulukirja", Pianist Ilmo Ranta, soprano Mia Huhta, mezzosoprano Riikka Rantanen ao.
"This new work by a pioneer of Modernism pays tribute to Finnish poetic classics. The nineteen songs take in some of the best-loved lyric verses by such Finnish poets as Eino Leino, Eeva-Liisa Manner, Helvi Hämäläinen and Kaarlo Sarkia."
Tapiola Sinfonietta - L'or de l'Azur by Kimmo Hakola, flautist Mikael Helasvuo
"The new work by Kimmo Hakola is fresh, bright, warm and positive in tone, the flute tracing golden arches on an azure sky. Inspired by Joan Miró’s painting L’or de l'Azur, the concerto was a commission from the Tapiola Sinfonietta."
Do you have room for any more...?
TOM NYMAN IN A DREAM ROLE FOR A LYRIC TENOR
The tenor Tom Nyman has become well known for his Mozart roles, of which he has performed the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute over 200 times in various productions. He sang his latest Mozart role in the autumn in the opera Zaide from Mozart’s early period, which was staged by the Finnish National Opera in honour of Mozart’s 250th anniversary. Liisamaija Hautsalo wrote in issue number 12/2006 of the Rondo Classica magazine that: “Tom Nyman’s voice beautifully fits the role of the idealistic young Gomatz.”
The works of Bach, Britten, Haydn and Strauss also contain suitable repertoire for the voice of a lyric tenor. However, of all the emotionally lyric roles for tenor, one stands out above the rest: Lenski in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. To die for love and honour is one of the motifs that make the opera ‘infinitely poetic’, according to its composer. Lenski grieves for his lost life and sings one of his most well-known arias just before his duel: “Kuda, kuda…” If it were possible to choose only one opera role that depicts the lyric tenor it may well be the role of Lenski – it contains all the elements that are related to lyric tenors and tenor singing.
In between performances of the joint production between Central Finland Regional Opera and the Mikkeli Opera Association, Tom Nyman rushed to his next premiere at the National Opera on 19 January 2007 to sing the role of Banér in Fredrik Pacius’ opera The Hunt of King Charles, which was conducted by Jan Söderblom. Opera-going and concert audiences may have been surprised to discover this versatile and not to mention one of Finland’s most popular tenors of Oratorio and Passion music in the heats for the Eurovision Song Contest, too.
In the live broadcast from Tampere on 27 January, Tom Nyman sang as one of the soloists in the Humane group, which showcased two songs of the singer-songwriter Kim Herold. One of the songs went on to the next round and the other was eliminated on the basis of text message voting by viewers. On the basis of the above, it may not come as a surprise to learn that the tenor Tom Nyman also has also mastered the art of guitar playing – and that those lyric romances and serenades can be really be heard being sung by Tom Nyman with guitar accompaniment on bended knee: a real dream tenor.
In the picture: Tom Nyman and Essi Luttinen. Tom Nyman alternated with Juhana Suninen in the role of Lenski.
ILMILIEKKI TO TOUR ENGLAND
 The Ilmiliekki Quartet is to leave for an extensive tour in England from 14 November to 20 November 2006. The tour will take in the following cities: Leeds, Oxford, Bristol, London, Malton and Norwich. Ilmiliekki will be performing in the internationally renowned PizzaExpress Jazz Club, and the band’s performance will be part of one of the United Kingdom’s equally significant cultural events, the London Jazz Festival. Ilmiliekki will be going on tour with the Norwegian jazz songstress Solveig Slettahjell whose career has taken off like a rocket and who The Observer newspaper has called one of the best jazz singers of her generation.
Ilmiliekki gave a successful performance on 9 October 2006 in New York at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The performance featured as part of the Northern Lights Jazz Series, which took place on four Mondays during October as part of the European Dream Festival 2006.
The Ilmiliekki Quartet came to public attention by winning the Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition in 2002. In 2004, the band was named as Young Artist of the Year by the Finland Festivals organisation and was awarded the Teosto prize for the band’s first recording March of the Alpha Males. In addition, the trumpeter Verneri Pohjola won the Pori Jazz Artist of the Year in the same year. Ilmiliekki will release their second recording Take it with me (TUM Records 020) at the end of November 2006.
* Ilmiliekki Quartet line-up: Verneri Pohjola; trumpet and melodica, Tuomo Prättälä; piano, Antti Lötjönen; bass and Olavi Louhivuori; drums.
FESTIUM JAZZ GROUP LEADERS, trombonist Antti Rissanen and saxophonist Mikko Innanen interviews each others:
 Mikko Innanen asks trombonist Antti Rissanen: “Where do you see yourself in a few years time?”
“I started arranging and composing when I was 6 years old and composed my first pieces for big band when I was 15. I also started conducting my own big band at the same time. Now, 16 years later, I find myself more and more often in front of big bands: in 2005, I conducted 42 big band concerts both in Finland and abroad, and in some of the concerts I was also the soloist. One of my ambitions is to be offered a so-called guest conductorship. My vision is that I would like to see myself doing more conducting of music by Finnish big band composers, especially abroad. This autumn, there will be a joint concert between the Oulu All Star Big Band and the Oulu Sinfonietta, which will include music in the style of Frank Sinatra. Although the chance to perform as a soloist with a symphony orchestra is another interesting possibility; there are plans in the near future to perform Heikki Sarmanto’s work for jazz soloist and symphony orchestra.”
Antti Rissanen asks saxophonist Mikko Innanen: “As you are involved in so many different projects, how do you concentrate on a specific group from among all the others? Do you change your approach to the music/your playing/your composition with the group or are you always the same Mikko Innanen?
 “It is interesting to get involved with new, different musical situations and try to work so that you retain your own identity, and yet be a part of the whole: to give your all to the situation and react to what is going on around you. I am not interested in orthodoxy. There are no genres in music, only the individual style of each musician, composer or group, which is discovered by playing and experimenting. If you try too hard to create a personal style, the result may end up being art that is bland, putrid and fake. On the other hand, art that is in no way individual is totally pointless and should be banned. It’s not possible to choose your own individuality, but you just have to accept it for how it is and try and create something amazing with what you have. For me, the most interesting music is music that sounds good, but about which it is not possible to exactly say why it sounds good. The existence of the threat of abject failure is organically linked to making music, especially music called jazz. Playing and composing is not meaningful to me without this threat. Composing is still a great mystery to me; I know what I like and what types of compositions I want to create, but I cannot explain how it happens. Sometimes it works, mostly not. That is why the most important thing is to work all the time and embrace new dangers head on without hesitation; you have to keep all your irons in the fire all the time and hope that you'll sometimes strike lucky. The most important thing is movement - AND direction."
*In the picture from left; Timo Lassy, Joonas Riippa, Mikko Innanen. Mikko Innanen & Innkvistio includes also pianist Seppo Kantonen (electric organ and synthesizer).
SOPRANO HELENA JUNTUNEN ACCLAIMED IN VIENNA
 When soprano Helena Juntunen debuted in the role of Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute on 13 May 2006 at the Vienna Fest Week, the critics raved. Although she had just caught a cold, the Finnish soprano stood out from the production. The respected Die Presse declared that Juntunen was the best soloist, “who even with a cold could light an incandescent fire with her voice.” According to the wide-circulation Kronen Zeitung, Helena Juntunen is “a gentle Pamina, whose soprano is pliant, fresh and brilliant. She articulates with confidence and her expressions are moving.” Leading newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten praised the high quality of Juntunen’s singing.
Only a day before her Vienna debut, newspaper Helsingin Sanomat featured a review of the new Sibelius album “Spirit of Nature” (BIS) published by Sinfonia Lahti, one of whose soloists is Helena Juntunen. In addition to Spirit of Nature (Luonnotar), the album contains premiere recordings with an orchestra of the songs Hertig Magnus and Höstkväll. The review, which compares two new Sibelius recordings, carries the following headline: “Two magnificent Spirits of Nature – Soile Isokoski and Helena Juntunen’s incomparable interpretations of Sibelius.” Veijo Murtomäki writes about Spirit of Nature that “both singers reach the highest notes with ease, either in a subdued or a climactic scene. That makes listening to Isokoski and Juntunen liberating and pleasurable.” Murtomäki continues: “I’m grateful that Helena Juntunen has had the opportunity to record Spirit of Nature with her fresh and vibrant soprano. Her youthful rendition of the songs Höstkväll and Hertig Magnus also ranks with the accomplishments of her most celebrated colleagues.”
SAXOPHONIST JOONATAN RAUTIOLA wins
the 2006 Josef Kaartinen Award
 The 2006 Josef Kaartinen Award was issued by the Finnish Saxophone Association to saxophonist Joonatan Rautiola. The award has been issued since 1996 in alternate years to artists playing classical music and jazz. The award ceremony took place on Tuesday, 28 March 2006 at the Malmi House in conjunction with a concert by the Finnish Saxophone Association. Rautiola was accompanied by pianist Marko Hilpo, with whom he successfully made his debut at the New York Carnegie Hall in October 2005.
In February 2006, Joonatan Rautiola was admitted to the Paris Conservatory to attend the classes of Claude Delangle, the best-known saxophonist of our time. Rautiola’s exploits in France also include the fourth price awarded on 28 January 2005 in the renowned international Adolphe Sax Competition held in l'Haÿ-les-Roses, and the second price in the international saxophone competition at Albi in 2005. In Finland, Joonatan Rautiola was the winner of the 2002 competition for young solo artists, organised by the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
Next summer, Rautiola’s appearances include the 14th World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljanassa, Slovenia, and, together with pianist Marko Hilpo, at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. This young promising musician can also be spotted in the Finnish summer. The picture shows Joonatan Rautiola who has just flown in from Paris to play at the 20th anniversary concert of the Sysmä Summer Sounds, together with Petteri Salomaa, Matti Karhos, piano and Jari Piitulainen, bass. Those were the days...
COUNTERTENOR TEPPO LAMPELA
 While the audience of the Lohja Tenor Singing Competition 2005 was still awaiting the announcement of the winner, the chairman of the board, opera singer Seppo Ruohonen described the winner like this: “He is a singer who has absolutely mastered his voice, he is highly professional and his interpretation in a competition was outstanding. The winner is countertenor Teppo Lampela.“
It was a historical moment for the Finns as it was the first time a countertenor won a singing competition in Finland. So what does a countertenor actually mean? Where does it come from? Let’s go back to the 16th and 17th centuries and compare the names that were used in different European countries. In Italy, they used contralto or, more often, alto. In France, the term was haute-contre and in England, the word was countertenor. They all come from the Latin term contratenor altus and mean the same thing, i.e., a form of polyphony between tenor and soprano. That means that male sopranos, sopranists, are even higher than countertenors, which are the same as female altos nowadays. But there was a time, when women were not allowed to sing…(Read more).
To Finns, Lampela is a well-known performer of music by J.S.Bach, Handel, Pergolesi, Buxtehude and Arvo Pärt. In November, he performed in the opening concert of Helsinki's IX Bach Week. He received the following review about his performance: “ ...the solo alto cantata Vernügte Ruh, beliebte Seelelust, was really a tour de force for Lampela. The entire cantata was characterized by exceptional musicality and stamina.“ (Hufvudstadsbladet, Vilhem Kvist 11/2005).
Orig. “I dag är det ännu så pass tunnsått med kontratenorer att det är närmast glädjande att höra altstämmör framföras av dessa röstkonstnärer, såsom i soloaltokantaten Vernügte Ruh, beliebte Seelelust, som blev ett verkligt kraftporv för Lampela. Utomordentlig musikalitet och uthållighet präglade hela kantaten.“(Hufvudstadsbladet, Vilhem Kvist 11/2005).
On December 18, Lampela can be heard singing Buxtehude and Scarlatti for the Christmas Concert of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Kallio Church, Helsinki (Finland) at 3:00 p.m. The concert will be broadcast directly to all European countries. The concert is free-of-charge.
SYSMÄN SUVISOITTO 2005
(June - July 2005)
 Sysmän Suvisoitto is one of the numerous summer festivals in Finland. Like many other festivals, it has its pillar on local people. Their activity and passion to support festival over the decades provide a splendid setting for success and continuity. From this point of view, Sysmän Suvisoitto is one of the lucky ones. This summers program provides concertgoers with the chance to hear the highlights of the 20-years history of Sysmän Suvisoitto.
The main celebration concert will be held on Thursday 7 July 7 pm in the Luhanka Church. Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz is conducted by its current chief conductor Ari Rasilainen. Rasilainen is also the first artistic director and one of the founder members of Sysmän Suvisoitto. As soloists will be heard cellist Martti Rousi and baritone Petteri Salomaa. Salomaa is the current artistic director of the festival. The program includes Schumann’s Cello Concerto, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn Songs and Brahms’ First Symphony.
One of this summers specialities is the opening concert ’Sovitetut toiveet’ on 30 June 7 pm at the Teatteritalo (The Theatre House). Audience has an opportunity to take part in making the program by choosing the songs and proposing the style of the performance (You may send your requests by e-mail until 28 June to the address: yle.musiikki@yle.fi). These never-heard-before arrangements will be performed by Trio Forrester (pianist Iiro Rantala, violinist Minna Pensola and cellist Timo-Veikko Valve), Mongo Aaltonen, percussion, Petteri Salomaa, baritone and Helena Juntunen, soprano. The concert will be broadcasted live on Radio 1 by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) and the host is Minna Lindgren.
PIANIST LAURA MIKKOLA
(April 2005)
Pianist Laura Mikkola - Spring on three continent: On Tour in USA and Japan and as a soloist in Rautavaara’s debut with Frankfurt Radio-Symphony Orchestra
The Finnish pianist Laura Mikkola (b. 1974) is recipient of many awards, including the second prize in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition of Brussels and the prize of the public in 1995. At the same year she had her debut at Suntory Hall in Tokyo and in 1996 Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall in New York.
In May 2005 she will have tours both in Japan and the USA. In the USA she gives recitals in San Diego and in Los Angeles.
Laura Mikkola is well known about her large scale repertoire (incl. 45 concertos): Bartok no. 2, Prokofiev no. 2, von Sauer no. 2, Lindberg Piano Concerto and Rahmaninov no. 3 among others. In September 2005, a new Rahmaninov CD-Recording will be released by Mikkola. (Distributed by Harmonia Mundi).
Furthermore, Laura Mikkola is a well respected performer of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s pianoconcertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3, which she has also recorded. On 20th of May Frankfurt will have a debut of Rautavaara by Mikkola, playing concerto No. 3, “Gift of Dreams”, with the Frankfurt Radio-Symphony Orchestra conducted by E.G.Jensen.
Since 2003 Mikkola has been the artistic leader of the Iitti Chamber Music Festival in Finland. This year the Festival starts on 16th of June. Besides Laura Mikkola, you will hear clarinetist Kari Kriikku, cellist Marko Ylönen and violinist Réka Szilvay among others.
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