Veli-Matti Puumala (born 18 July 1965,

Kaustinen Kaustinen () is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population about 4300 and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Halsua, ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

) is a Finnish composer. He is currently (since 2005) the professor of composition at the

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy (, ) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki ...

. Puumala studied composition in

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under Paavo Heininen from 1984 to 1993 and in

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under Franco Donatoni in 1989 and 1990. His musical style is rooted in European Modernism, but has been also described to contain stylised references to folk music and modal elements. In addition to instrumental and vocal music, Puumala has also composed a number of electronic works and one radiophonic work, ''Rajamailla'' (''Borderlands''), which won the

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...

in 2001. His piano concerto ''Seeds of Time'' was awarded the Teosto Prize by the Finnish Composers' Copyright Society in 2005, and in 2011 he was awarded the

Erik Bergman Erik Valdemar Bergman (24 November 1911 – 24 April 2006) was a composer of european classical music, classical music from Finland. Bergman's style ranged widely, from Romanticism in his early works (many of which he later prohibited from bein ...

Jubilee Prize "in recognition of his excellent, versatile work continuing the ethical and spiritual tradition of Modernism". Puumala is also known as a musical educator: he has taught music theory since 1989 and composition since 1997 at the

and was appointed as a professor of composition in 2005.

Selected works

* ''Scroscio'' (1989) for chamber ensemble * ''Verso'' (1990–91) for chamber ensemble * ''Ghirlande'' (1992) for chamber ensemble * ''Line to Clash'' (1991–93) for orchestra * ''Tutta via'' (1992–93) for chamber orchestra * String Quartet (1994) * ''Chant Chains'' (1994–95) for chamber orchestra * ''Chains of Camenæ'' (1995–96) for orchestra * ''Soira'' (1996) for accordion and chamber orchestra * ''Chainsprings'' (1995–97) for orchestra * ''Taon'' (1998-2000) for double bass and chamber orchestra * ''Seeds of Time'' (2004) for piano and orchestra * ''Mure'' (2008) for chamber ensemble * ''Anna Liisa'' (2001–08), opera in three acts, libretto by the composer and Tiina Käkelä-Puumala based on a play by

Minna Canth Minna Canth (; born Ulrika Wilhelmina Johnson; 19 March 1844 – 12 May 1897) was a Finnish writer and social activist. Canth began to write while managing her family draper's shop and living as a widow raising seven children. Her work address ...

. * ''Rope'' (2010–12) for orchestra * ''Tear'' (2012–13) for chamber orchestra * ''Rime'' (2012–13) for string orchestra * ''Root'' (2015-17) for orchestra

References

Sources

*Hillilä, Ruth-Ester and Hong, Barbara B. 1997. "Historical Dictionary of the Music and Musicians of Finland". Greenwood. {{DEFAULTSORT:Puumala, Veli-Matti 1965 births Living people 20th-century Finnish classical composers 21st-century Finnish classical composers Sibelius Academy alumni Finnish male classical composers 20th-century Finnish male musicians 21st-century Finnish male musicians