This years Teosto Prize has been awarded to Joel Järventausta for his Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra.
The Teosto Prize is the largest award for music in Finland, and is awarded annually to works that demonstrate bold and distinctive artistic vision. Järventausta’s Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra was selected among this year’s winners for its originality and expressive range.
The jury noted how the work evolves from a “swinging, appealing and speedy start” into something more delicate and introspective, ultimately dissolving into silence in a striking and unexpected way.
Järventausta’s work was recognised for its originality and expressive range. As the jury noted, that "Fantasy for piano & orchestra is a breathtakingly multidimensional work—one that acknowledges its heritage while remaining firmly rooted in the present. Portraying the dramatic stages surrounding the birth of the composer’s child, it draws the listener in and opens up an immersive, vividly imagined sound world. Its originality lies in Järventausta’s willingness to let the music breathe, avoiding any unnecessary emphasis on tonal or structural complexity."
Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra was premiered on 29 October 2025 at Musiikkitalo in Helsinki by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov, with Joonas Ahonen as soloist.
