PERTTU HAAPANEN STARTS AS THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF UUSINTA ENSEMBLE

Uusinta Ensemble has in 5th of February 2017 appointed composer Perttu Haapanen (s. 1972) as its Artistic Director on a five-year contract.

Perttu Haapanen, who graduated as M.Mus. from the Sibelius Academy in 2002, is a prominent composer, whose works have been performed widely in Europe, Asia and USA (e.g. Musica Nova Helsinki, Wien Modern, Ultraschall, Maerzmusik, Warsaw Autumn, Huddersfield Contemporary Music, Baltic Sea, Nordic Music Days, ISCM, Music of Today, Great Performer’s, Ars Nova Seoul, Time of Music, Musica Novo Järvenpää and Sibelius Academy). His orchestral compositions have been nominated twice for one of the biggest art prizes in the Nordic countries, the Teosto Price of the Finnish Composers’ Copyright Society (Ladies Room in 2008 and Compulsion Island in 2015).

In addition to his work as a composer, Perttu Haapanen was appointed as the Artistic Director of the Viitasaari Time of Music festival Finland in 2009–2013. He has also held positions in various important cultural organisations in Finland, e.g. in 2013–16 in the National Council of Music.
​
Perttu Haapanen outlines the artistic profile of Uusinta Ensemble: “It’s a true pleasure for me to start working with Uusinta Ensemble, which with its previous Artistic Director, composer Ville Raasakka has developed into an international level contemporary music ensemble. In Uusinta Ensemble, the uncompromising musical know-how is combined with open-minded search for the artistic novelty. Young composers will be in the focus, not forgetting the landmarks of contemporary music, with which the ensemble can develop itself even further. I believe that by investing in the special quality Uusinta Ensemble holds and focusing its artistic profile boldly and clearly, we will in the long term be able to reach true goals both in the artistic and social sense.”