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The IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition (2018-2019) received a record number of entries – 283 from 38 countries. The five works chosen for the finals were performed by the Kymi Sinfonietta under conductor Olari Elts at finals concerts held in Kouvola on November 14 and Kotka on November 15, 2019. The soloists were Valentina Coladonato (soprano), Oleg Larionov (viola), Risto-Matti Marin (piano) and Heigo Rosin (marimba). The concerts were presented by YLE newscaster Jussi-Pekka Rantanen. The Kotka concert was broadcast live by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) on its Radio Channel 1.

The Kotka finals concert can be heard at YLE Areena https://areena.yle.fi/1-50283760

The finalists in the International Uuno Klami Composition Competition, one of the world’s most popular composition competitions and now being held for the fourth time, have arrived in Southeast Finland for the climax of the competition: Christopher Culpo (France), Pertti Jalava (Finland), Andrea Portera (Italy), Tomi Räisänen (Finland) and Roberto Sansuini (Italy). The Kymi Sinfonietta conducted by Olari Elts will premiere their works at finals concerts at the Kuusankoski Hall (Kouvola) at 7 pm on Thursday November 14 and at the Kotka Concert Hall at 7 pm on Friday November 15. The results will be announced after the concert in Kotka. The Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) will broadcast the Kotka concert live on its Radio channel 1.

Finalists and Jury also present at the orchestral rehearsals

The finalists will also be present at the orchestral rehearsals in Kotka and Kouvola, where they will have a chance to go through the finer details of their works with the soloists and orchestra. The four soloists at the finals concerts are all top artists: Italian soprano Valentina Coladonato, Russian-born violist Oleg Larionov, Finnish pianist Risto-Matti Marin and Estonian percussionist Heigo Rosin.

Also closely attending the finals rehearsals will be Jury members Kalevi Aho, Magnus Lindberg, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Olari Elts. The Klami competition is unique in that the Jury hears the short-listed works at two concerts and their rehearsals before selecting the winner. Its final decision is thus influenced by the overall impression created by the live performances; this is extremely rare in a composition competition. The Jury has therefore been hard at work long before the finals, having studied no fewer than 283 entries from 38 countries.

Fascinating menu of new music – five orchestral works, all different

The five works selected for the finals offer a fascinating menu of new music and styles. Mundus Imaginalis by Christopher Culpo is based on dialogue between piano and strings, reflections and shadows; the Viola Concerto by Pertti Jalava is a narrative mood piece at times brisk, at others dreamy and lingering. Klecksophonic Lieder by Andrea Portera describes symbols of and journeys towards the unconscious in a story told by a soprano soloist. Tomi Räisänen’s Marimba Concerto Portal bears echoes of popular music and references including Alice in Wonderland, the film Matrix and Harry Potter, while each of the movements in Four Tales by Roberto Sansuini expresses a different character and mood.

Members of the audience will have a chance to meet the competition finalists before the concerts at the Kuusankoski Hall (Hirvelä room, upper floor) at 5.30 pm on Thursday November 14 and at the Vausti Restaurant at the Kotka Concert Hall at 5.30 pm on Friday November 15. The finalists will be interviewed by Jussi-Pekka Rantanen, a Yle newscaster familiar to many in Finland and also the presenter at both finals concerts.

FURTHER INFO:

International Uuno Klami Composition Competition Patrons’ Association,

Executive Director Reetaliina Marin, tel. +358 50 324 0058,

reetaliina.marin@kymisinfonietta.fi, www.klamicompetition.fi

FINALISTS SELECTED FOR THE IV INTERNATIONAL
UUNO KLAMI COMPOSITION COMPETITION

The finalists for the IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition, one of the world’s most popular composition competitions in the number of entries, have now been selected. The prestigious Jury consisting of Finnish composers Kalevi Aho, Magnus Lindberg and Estonian Erkki-Sven Tüür, and Estonian conductor Olari Elts has selected the following five works for the competition finals:

Christopher Culpo, 58, France: Mundus Imaginalis
Pertti Jalava, 58, Finland: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Andrea Portera, 44, Italy: Klecksophonic Lieder
Tomi Räisänen, 42, Finland: Portal (Marimba Concerto)
Roberto Sansuini, 52, Italy: Four Tales for Small Orchestra

Four of the finals works have a soloist. In view of the large number of entries, the Jury has also drawn up a list of recommended works that did not qualify for the finals (see attachment).

The composition competition announced in the European region in January 2018 evoked an immense response, making it one of the world’s most popular composition competitions. For the Competition Office received a total of 283 entries representing no fewer than 38 nationalities. The largest number of entries came from Italy, Finland, Germany, the UK, Russia and Spain.

According to Kalevi Aho, Chairman of the Jury, the standard of the competition is extremely high. He describes the selection of the finals works as follows: “There were many extremely fine works among the entries, and we could choose only a few for the finals. Quality was one of the criteria in selecting them, and the result is a varied finals concert programme of a high standard. The finals concerts will, I believe, be musically diverse and extremely interesting for the audience. Deciding the winner will be difficult for the Jury.” The Jury will make its final decision on the competition’s winners after hearing the finals concerts in mid-November.

The competition will culminate in two finals concerts in November 2019. Tickets now on sale.

The Kymi Sinfonietta conducted by Olari Elts will perform the five works chosen for the finals with top soloists at two exciting concerts. These works will thus receive their world premiere at tense concerts at the Kuusankoski Hall on Thursday November 14, 2019 and at the Kotka Concert Hall on Friday November 15, 2019, both concerts beginning at 7 pm. The Jury will make its ultimate decisions only after hearing the finals concerts and their rehearsals, to which the finalists will also be invited. The results will be announced and the prizes awarded after the concert in Kotka. The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) will be broadcasting the Kotka concert on the radio and the concerts will be presented by YLE newscaster Jussi-Pekka Rantanen. Tickets for the finals concerts are now on sale at Ticketmaster and other sales points.

FURTHER INFO:
The International Uuno Klami Composition Competition Patrons’ Association
Executive Director Reetaliina Marin, tel. +358 50 324 0058,
email reetaliina.marin@kymisinfonietta.fi
www.klamicompetition.fi

PRESS RELEASE May 23, 2019

STATISTICS OF PARTICIPANTS May 23, 2019 (pdf)

The deadline for entries in the IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition is fast approaching: entries, to be sent to the Competition Office, must be postmarked 3 December 2018 at the latest. News of this competition, which has a keen following, has clearly sped round the globe, for messages or enquiries have come in from composers the world over. The Uuno Klami is the only international competition held in Finland for the composition of an orchestral work.
The competition is open to citizens of any EU Member State, of a Nordic country, or of Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine or the Vatican City State. The members of the Jury, all leading composers and prominent music figures of their generation, are Finland’s Kalevi Aho and Magnus Lindberg and Estonia’s award-winning Erkki-Sven Tüür. The conductor member is Olari Elts, Artistic Advisor of the Kymi Sinfonietta. The distinguished Jury will select about five works for the finals in early spring 2019.
The competition has aroused widespread international interest: numerous enquiries have been received from all over the world – even more than for the previous, III International Uuno Klami Composition Competition, which elicited a record response. Judging from the previous competitions, the arrival of entries at the Competition Office will reach its peak close to the deadline, at the beginning of December. Competitors particularly value the eminent Jury, the finals concerts and the prizes (€11,000, €9,000 and €7,000).
The works selected for the finals and their composers will be presented to the public at large in a unique way in November 2019, when the Kymi Sinfonietta will perform all the compositions selected for the finals at two concerts, one in Kouvola and one in Kotka. The orchestra will be conducted by its Artistic Advisor, Olari Elts. The finals will attract international composers to SE Finland. The members of the Jury will, like the finalists, be present at these concerts and their rehearsals. The competition is also unique in that the Jury makes its final decisions only after hearing the finals concerts and their rehearsals. In other words, the decisions are based not purely on the printed page but on several hearings as well. It thus remains exciting up to the very last moment.  
The International Uuno Klami Composition Competition aims to promote contemporary European composition and composers under the name of Uuno Klami (1900–1961), a cosmopolitan composer in his day. A native of SE Finland, Klami was the most highly-acclaimed Finnish composer of his generation, and the competition seeks to actively increase appreciation of his lifelong work, both in Finland and worldwide. The previous International Uuno Klami Composition Competition attracted a record 265 entries from 37 countries.

PRESS RELEASE November 2, 2018 Deadline fast approaching! (pdf)

FURTHER INFO:
The International Uuno Klami Composition Competition Patrons’ Association,
Executive Director Reetaliina Marin, tel. +358 50 324 0058,
reetaliina.marin@kymisinfonietta.fi,
www.klamicompetition.fi