On November 6 Outi Tarkiainen was awarded the Alfred Kordelin Prize for briging Finnish musical art on the international stage.
The € 50,000 Alfred Kordelin Prize is one of the most significant annual awards presented in Finland. The prizes are awarded for socially impactful and topical contributions to science, the arts and public education. The recipients are at the top of their field and contribute to the diversity, skilfulness and internationality of Finnish society through their work.
The Alfred Kordelin Prize has been awarded for over a hundred years. The very first prize was awarded to composer Jean Sibelius in 1923. Among the previous recipients are the former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, conductor Dalia Stasevska and opera singer Jorma Hynninen. Last time a composer received the award, was Eero Hämeenniemi in 1990, Tarkiainen's former composition teacher.
Mikko Kosonen, Chair of the foundation states:
In order to build a sustainable and better future, we need top-level science, high-quality art as well as carefully considered perspectives, thinking and discussion that help maintain society.
This year’s award recipients all share a distinct topicality and success in international arenas.
The official statement from the Alfred Kordelin Prize:
Bridging art, nature and humanity - composer Outi Tarkiainen
Composer Outi Tarkiainen (born 1985) is one of the internationally most successful and artistically original Finnish composers. She has risen rapidly to the forefront of contemporary music, and her works have been commissioned and performed by the world’s leading orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the BBC Philharmonic and Boston Symphony.
Tarkiainen’s style of composition combines the multivocality of arctic nature, formative human experiences and a perspective that reforms the traditions of art music. In her works, she moves fluently between western art music and jazz and brings out perspectives that widely touch a variety of audiences. In her works, natural phenomena are often parallelled with parenthood and moments of birth, for example.
Tarkiainen highlights northern nature and the experiences of northern people in her works in a way that strengthens the cultural diversity of Finnish society. Her work advances ecological awareness, cultural dialogue and equality through art.
Tarkiainen’s works have been nominated for several prestigious international awards. Her work has significantly contributed to the position of Finnish musical art on the international stage.
