PRESS RELEASE January 18, 2019

Record number of entries for the IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition - further reinforces its position as one of the world’s most popular composition competitions

The IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition has evoked an immense response, for the Competition Office received a total of 283 entries posted by the deadline at the beginning of December 2018. Judging from the postmarks, they were sent from all across the target region, Europe. The fact that they came from no fewer than 37 different countries is proof of the extremely great international interest aroused by the competition. The high number of entries makes the Uuno Klami one of the world’s most popular composition competitions, and the fact that the number of participants has risen again and again is also significant.

The competition Jury is now spending the period from December to March rating the scores. The members of the Jury, all leading composers and persons of influence on the musical scene, are Finland’s Kalevi Aho and Magnus Lindberg and Estonia’s Erkki-Sven Tüür. The conductor member is Olari Elts, Artistic Advisor of the Kymi Sinfonietta. The distinguished Jury will shortlist 3–5 works for the finals in spring 2019. As Kalevi Aho, Chairman of the Jury, says of the competition’s popularity, “The number of participants in the Klami Composition Competition shows it has become one of the leading international composition competitions.”

The Jury will finally decide the winners in November 2019, after hearing all the shortlisted works at two finals concerts plus their orchestral rehearsals performed by the Kymi Sinfonietta and conducted by Olari Elts in Kouvola and Kotka (Finland). The competition is unique in that the Jury makes its ultimate decisions only after hearing the finals concerts and their rehearsals. The composers of the shortlisted works are also invited to attend the finals concerts and their rehearsals in SE Finland.

The IV International Uuno Klami Composition Competition was announced in January 2018 in all the Nordic countries, EU Member States, Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine or the Vatican City State. It evoked an extremely enthusiastic response the moment it was announced and the Competition Office received a wealth of enquiries, some of them also from countries all over the world, outside the designated region.

PRESS RELEASE January 18, 2019 (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