Ilkka Kuusisto
Ilkka Taneli Kuusisto (born 26 April 1933)[1] is a Finnish opera composer, conductor, choirmaster and organist.[2]
Professori Ilkka Kuusisto | |
|---|---|
 Ilkka Kuusisto in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 26 April 1933 Helsinki, Finland[1] |
| Genres | Opera |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instrument(s) | Organ |
Education
Kuusisto studied at the Sibelius Academy (now part of the University of the Arts Helsinki), qualifying as an organist in 1954, and a music teacher in 1958.[1] He also studied composition under Aarre Merikanto, and afterwards went on to further his studies in Vienna and New York.[1]
Career
Kuusisto started his career as a church organist, working in that role for nearly two decades.[1][3]
He conducted the Helsinki City Theatre orchestra for most of the 1960s.[1] He taught at Sibelius Academy from 1975 to 1984.[1] He worked for many years in the music department of the Finnish public broadcaster Yle, and also was the artistic director of a leading Finnish music publishing company, Musiikki-Fazer, in the early 1980s.[1][3]
Kuusisto worked extensively as a choirmaster, conducting the Finnish National Opera chorus and the Radio Symphony Chorus for several years, as well as having engagements with many other choirs.[2][1]
His perhaps highest-profile management role was as the Director General of the National Opera, between 1984 and 1992.[1][2]
Works (selected)
Kuusisto's composition repertoire covers a broad range of genres, from stage and film music, to jazz, choral works, and opera, the last of which he is the best-known.[1]
Orchestral
- Symphony No.1 (1998)
- Concertino improvvisando for violin & small orchestra (2006)
Vocal
- Kun talo alkaa soida (When the House Begins to Resound) for baritone & orchestra (1992)
Opera
- Muumiooppera (1974)
- Miehen kylkiluu (1977)
- Sota valosta (1980)
- Jääkäri Ståhl (1981)
- Pierrot ja yön salaisuudet (1991)
- Postineiti (1992)
- Neiti Julie (1994)
- Gabriel, tule takaisin! (1998)
- Isänmaan tyttäret (1998)
- Nainen kuin jäätynyt samppanja (1999)
- Kuninkaan sormus (2000)
- Pula! (2002)
- Matilda ja Nikolai (2003)
- Kotia kohti (2006)
- Vapauden vanki (2006)
- Taipaleenjoki (2009)
Screen
- Rakkaus alkaa aamuyöstä (1966)
Awards and honours
In 1984, Kuusisto received the Pro Finlandia medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.[4]
In 1992, the honorary title of Professori was conferred on Kuusisto.[2]
Personal life
Ilkka Kuusisto's father was the composer and music educator Taneli Kuusisto.[2]
Both his sons, Jaakko (1974–2022) and Pekka (born 1976), are also conductors, composers, as well as violinists.[1]
References
- "Kuusisto, Ilkka". Uppslagsverket.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- "Kuusisto, Ilkka (1933–)". Kansallisbiografia.fi (in Finnish). National Biography of Finland. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- "Ilkka Kuusisto halusi merille mutta päätyi musiikin monipuolisuusmieheksi" (in Finnish). Yle. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- "SUOMEN LEIJONAN PRO FINLANDIA -MITALIN SAAJAT 1945-2021". Ritarikunnat.fi (in Finnish). The Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
External links
- Ilkka Kuusisto on Music Finland