The Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki

🌿🎶 The latest Trio 1/2026 is out!

In the gentle breezes of summer, there’s time to delve into the newest issue of our research publication, Trio. Add July’s update to your reading list and explore current themes in music research and the arts.

👉 Read it online: https://trio.journal.fi/issue/view/13863

In her peer-reviewed article, Livia Schweizer discusses the interpretation and performance of Pauline Oliveros’ Thirteen Changes (1986), a verbal score. Her practice-based research, grounded in the collaboration of seven improvisers with diverse musical and cultural backgrounds, shows how a verbal score can promote creativity, collaboration, and intercultural dialogue in contemporary art music.

Samuli Skurnik and Jonathan Morduch’s article, in turn, examines the impact of the concert activities of soprano Ida Ekman and pianist Karl Ekman in establishing Sibelius’ songs as part of Finnish musical culture. Sibelius became a national icon at a time when music was primarily spread through live performance. The article is based on extensive material.

The issue also features two lectio praecursoria presentations of artistic doctorates. Matias Häkkinen introduces the concept of ‘tuning philosophy’; his research centred on tuning as an essential part of the artistic expression and activity of the early music keyboardist. Hanna Chorell explores expanding the agency of the singer. Through research and experimentation, Chorell challenged the conventions of performing the female gender in the context of vocal concerts.

🔆 In June 2026, a group of teachers and artists from the University of the Arts Helsinki took part in the Third Spaces artist residency in Aotearoa (New Zealand). The residency brought together Indigenous artists and researchers from diverse backgrounds to explore how artistic collaboration can foster understanding across cultural boundaries.

Over the course of two weeks, participants visited Māori communities, met with local artists and researchers, and created art together. The residency culminated in an open-air concert at the Zealandia ecosanctuary in Wellington.

Third Spaces is part of the Voice and Justice project, funded by the Erkko Foundation, which explores ways in which music-making and research can support intercultural dialogue and social equity.

"Our world is facing increasing division, polarisation, and major social and environmental challenges. This calls on artists, educators and researchers to continually re-evaluate and reimagine their roles and practices," says Professor Nathan Riki Thomson.

📷 Laura Valoma

This week, a group of scholars examining the meanings of music from around the world have gathered here in Helsinki for the international ICMS conference and we have been very proud to host the event. As part of this gathering, there was also a visit from Maestro Jorma Panula, the Panula Academy Orchestra, and a group of young conductors.

The embodied knowledge of the musician and its verbal articulation were highlighted in many ways throughout the conference, alongside a range of analytical approaches to music. For international guests, Panula’s visit served as a window into Finnish music education and as a reminder that high-quality, successful work in music is not built overnight, but through years of dedicated effort.

“This visit made tangible the importance of, among other things, precise perception, organic movement, and skilful use of language in practical musical interaction and learning. For example, the keynote lecture by Lina Navickaitė preceding the visit explored the significance of performers’ bodily gestures from a research perspective,” notes our professor, Juha Ojala.

🎹 A new recording unveils the symbolic world of Selim Palmgren!

Finnish pianist Henrik Järvi invites you on a journey into the music of Selim Palmgren – a world of symbolism, freedom, and subtle sonic landscapes.

This album, released in the Sibelius Academy record label SibaRecords, features rare works and first recordings across different periods: from the introspective sensitivity of early pieces to the improvisatory freedom of the 1920s and the clarity of his later style.

✨ “Palmgren’s music breathes, resonates, and always leaves something open”, Järvi states.
Let the music carry you into the night, across water, and into inner landscapes.

🎧 Listen now and rediscover Palmgren 👉 https://eclipsemusic.lnk.to/SelimPalmgrenResonance

In her speech, held at the opening of The 16th International Congress on Musical Signification earlier today, The Sibelius Academy's dean Kaisa Rönkkö highlighted the importance of semiotics, scholarship, and the arts.

"They do not make uncertainty disappear, but they offer frameworks through which we can interpret change. They help us recognise patterns, preserve memory and create continuity amid disruption. When the world becomes difficult to read, culture provides ways of making sense of it."

The 16th International Congress on Musical Signification at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, continues until 6 June, 2026. Since 1986, the ICMS congress has been organised every 2 to 4 years to gather together scholars of musical signification, signs in music, and musical meaning – recent developments and future trends in musical semiotics and related fields of research.

You'll find a link to the speech in comments below.

🔆Music means something different to each of us – and in so many ways it shapes our lives ✨
This week, around 130 international scholars are gathering in Helsinki at Uniarts for the "ICMS 16 - Mu­sic as a Mean­ing­ful Art" conference to explore the many meanings of music. Our Professor of Artistic Research, Mieko Kanno, is among the speakers. She recently gave a fascinating lecture on the relationship between music and death.
🎧 Watch her Gresham College talk here – and tell us: what does music mean to you?

Music, Death and Afterlife - Mieko Kanno 00:00 // Introduction: Music, Death & Three Themes01:21 // Funeral...

🎉 Today we get to celebrate all our newly admitted students to the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy by publishing the results of the second round of spring admissions. At the same time, we also get to welcome the young talents selected for our youth education programme, Junior Academy — warm congratulations and a heartfelt welcome. 🎈

Sibelius Academy’s admissions results 2026 | Uniarts Helsinki You can also inquire about the results by e-mail at [email protected]. Admissions results are published on 10 April, 6 May, and 27 May 2026. Each programme has announced their publication day…

🎵🥁Is it time to rethink the role of a drummer in a jazz ensemble? Jaska Lukkarinen's research highlights the drummer’s role as an accompanist, and comping itself as an expressive, interpretive, and communicative act. The public examination of his doctoral degree will be on May 29! His is an inspiring example on how performance and research can blend, offering fresh perspectives on how drum comping can shape musical storytelling and structure.

Get the details 👉

Jaska Lukkarinen: Elements of Jazz Drum Comping: Shaping Musical Form and Dramaturgy | Uniarts Helsinki This artistic research project investigates the practice of jazz drum comping and its role in shaping musical form and dramaturgy within performance. The inquiry aims to deepen my ability to interpret…

Greetings from Vienna! 🎶

Over 200 participants from eight European arts universities gathered last week for the IN.TUNE Alliance Summit — including more than 20 colleagues and students from Uniarts Helsinki.

IN.TUNE, the only European University Alliance dedicated to the arts, is already creating new opportunities: mobility, courses, and joint initiatives. In Vienna, discussions focused on the future — strengthening collaboration, putting students at the centre, and building a truly connected European arts education ecosystem by 2030. Thank you IN.TUNE - Innovative Universities in Music & Arts in Europe and MDW - Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien for an inspiring meeting! We are very happy that we had the opportunity to meet their colleagues and envision the future of European higher music education.

✨ This is just the beginning — stay tuned and get involved!