Joel Järventausta

Joel Järventausta writes music praised for its vivid colours, distinctive soundworlds, and an ability to connect with audiences through delicate lyricism and contemporary expression.

Spending his childhood in Luxembourg and Germany, Järventausta completed his studies in the United Kingdom, and was awarded a PhD in Composition from King’s College London, where he studied with Sir George Benjamin and Prof. Silvina Milstein, supported by the Arts & Humanities Scholarship. Based back in Finland, Joel is currently working as a freelance composer. His work has been commissioned and performed by orchestras and ensembles such as London Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre national d’Île de France, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Chamber Choir, Carice Singers and Uusinta Ensemble.

Recent highlights include being awarded the Teosto Prize 2026 — the largest music prize in Finland — for his Fantasy for piano & orchestra, premiered by pianist Joonas Ahonen, conductor Ilan Volkovby and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Järventausta’s chamber opera Ihminen parhaan kykynsä mukaan (A Human to the best of my Ability) at the Finnish National Opera; and the Dutch premiere of Bacchanale by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Eva Ollikainen at the Concertgebouw. The 2026/27 season highlights include a new trumpet concerto commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra to be premiered by soloist James Fountain under Elim Chan, and Järventausta’s second opera to a libretto by renowned Finnish author Tommi Kinnunen for the Ilmajoki Music Festival.

Several recordings also appear this season, London Symphony Orchestra released Suns extinguished on their Panufnik Legacies IV album, Jyväskylä Sinfonia released Ripped Tapestry and Naava on Alba Records, and Niklas Walentin and Ensemble Storstrøm will release Songs, Games & Dances on Naxos.

Recent years have brought a series of acclaimed premieres. His orchestral work Sunfall was premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of François-Xavier Roth and later performed in Germany, Denmark and Finland. His first chamber opera Ihminen parhaan kykynsä mukaan (A Human to the best of my Ability),  with a libretto by renowned Finnish author Tommi Kinnunen, received its world premiere in a string of sold-out performances featuring baritone Waltteri Torikka and actress Pihla Penttinen. The opera was a co-production of Saaristo-ooppera, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Turku City Theater. That same year, he was Composer in Residence at the ‘I Djurs og Mols’ festival in Denmark, resulting in a pocket concerto, Songs, Games & Dances, for violinist Niklas Walentin and Ensemble Storstrøm. His music has been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO Live), Jyväskylä Sinfonia (Alba Records), and violinist Niklas Walentin with Ensemble Storstrøm (Naxos). 

Järventausta’s work has been recognised with major artist grants from leading Finnish foundations, including the Alfred Kordelin Foundation and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. In 2025, Järventausta was awarded the Finnish Music Publisher Award for his Songs, Games & Dances. In 2019, he won 1st Prize in the Île de Créations Composition Competition for Ripped Tapestry, and the 3rd Prize in the international Alexander Zemlinsky Composition Prize in the USA. He holds a Masters in Composition with Distinction from the Royal College of Music London and a BA in Music with First-Class Honours from the University of York.