News

Architecture inspired young composers

Collaboration with music institutions combined architecture and music.
kuule minä sävellän_työpaja_arkkitehtuurin laitos

Listen, I'm composing! (Kuule, minä sävellän!) is a diverse educational project where children, young people and adults get the opportunity to compose for symphony orchestra instruments. They are supervised by professional composers, artists in various fields of art and students of different subject groups at the Sibelius Academy of the Uniarts Helsinki and a lecturer in music education.

In the period 2020–2021, the theme of the project was Curious Space and the composition to be performed was inspired by architecture. What unites music and architecture? The project was implemented in collaboration with Aalto University's Department of Architecture, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Musica Nova Music Festival.

Aalto University's architecture students introduced the young composers and Sibelius Academy students to the basic concepts of architecture and organized a workshop at the Museum of Architecture, which dealt with space, material, light and sound in the city through craft assignments and exercises. The composers were twelve junior high school students from Tapiola School and Vantaa International School, as well as Malmi School in Helsinki.

Architecture students were also scheduled to design a space installation for the concert, but the concert turned into a video recording due to pandemic restrictions. Students filmed and edited video presentations of the compositions and put them together with the music sections.

The Listen, I'm Composing collaboration is based on the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers training program. In Finland, the project involves the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, the Sibelius Academy of the Uniarts Helsinki, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Helsinki Music Centre. The Kuule Ensemble, which consists of professional musicians from the collaborators, presents the new works to the public. Compositions performed through the project have already been performed in 13 concerts since 2011. Every year, there is a new perspective and a new target group in production.

The concert of the young composers was recorded at the Helsinki Music Centre in the spring of 2021.

  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

A speaker addresses a large audience in a dark auditorium. A large screen behind shows a vibrant image with the text 'Welcome'.
Awards and Recognition, Research & Art Published:

Annual review looked back on the past year

The annual review of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture provided a comprehensive overview of the past year. Members of the community were also awarded in the event.
An open book showing a skateboarder and a clown against a backdrop of buildings and green grass.
University Published:

Coming up next autumn at Aalto's Department of Architecture: a studio course on the reuse and expansion of the present Architecture and Design Museum buildings in Helsinki

Capstone Studio 2026 at Aalto explores adaptive reuse of the Architecture and Design Museum in Helsinki, using photography, collage and urban design methods.
Abstract map with winding red paths, blue stream, green areas, and multicoloured sections resembling landscapes.
University Published:

Antti Ahlava talking on Relationships in Design Principles & Practices conference (Rome, Italy)

Antti Ahlava presented “Relationship-based Architectural Design” at the Design Principles & Practices conference in Rome, discussing new methodological approaches in architecture.
Silhouettes of people walking and interacting, with orange paint splatters on a grey background.
University Published:

Making space for creativity with the help of ELEC Diversity and Inclusivity Fund

Inspired by findings that movement fuels creativity, doctoral researcher Tim Moesgen launched body-based workshops at Aalto University