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Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Anneli Saariaho (Finnish: [ˈkɑi̯jɑ ˈsɑːriɑho]; née Laakkonen; 14 October 1952 – 2 June 2023) was a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the BBC, the New York Philharmonic, the Salzburg Music Festival, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Finnish National Opera, among others.[1] In a 2019 composers' poll by BBC Music Magazine, Saariaho was ranked the greatest living composer.[2]

Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Laakkonen

(1952-10-14)14 October 1952
Helsinki, Finland

2 June 2023(2023-06-02) (aged 70)

Paris, France

Contemporary

List of compositions

Jean-Baptiste Barrière
​
​
(m. 1984)​

2

Saariaho studied composition in Helsinki, Freiburg, and Paris, where she also lived since 1982. Her research at the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM) marked a turning point in her music away from strict serialism towards spectralism. Her characteristically rich, polyphonic textures are often created by combining live music and electronics.

1986 – Kranichsteiner Prize at [23]

Darmstädter Ferienkurse

1988 – for Stilleben[23]

Prix Italia

1989 – for Stilleben and Io; one-year residency at the University of San Diego[23]

Prix Ars Electronica

2000 – for Lonh[24]

Nordic Council Music Prize

2003 – Doctor by the Faculty of Arts, University of Turku[25][26]

honoris causa

2003 – Doctor honoris causa by the Faculty of Arts, [27]

University of Helsinki

2003 – Grawemeyer Award for L'Amour de loin[28]

University of Louisville

2008 – "Musician of the Year 2008"[29]

Musical America

2009 – [30]

Wihuri Sibelius Prize

2010 – invited by to be the 20th composer featured in the annual Komponistenporträt of the Rheingau Musik Festival; the second female composer after Sofia Gubaidulina.[31]

Walter Fink

2011 – [32]

Léonie Sonning Music Prize

2011 – (L'Amour de loin)[33]

Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording

2012 – , Member[34]

American Academy of Arts & Sciences

2013 – [35]

Polar Music Prize

2017 – in Contemporary Music[36]

BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award

2017 – , Corresponding Member[37]

Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste

2017 – , Honorary member[38]

American Academy of Arts and Letters

2018 – Doctor honoris causa by the , University of the Arts Helsinki

Sibelius Academy

2019 – "Greatest Living Composer" survey[39]

BBC Music Magazine

2021 – Leone d'oro di Venezia, Biennale della Musica Contemporanea

[40]

2021 – "Composer of the Year"[41]

The New York Times

2022 – , "membre associé étranger"[42]

Académie des Beaux-Arts

2023 – title bestowed by the President of the Republic of Finland[43]

Academician of Arts

Graal Théâtre – ; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Sony SK60817[49]

Gidon Kremer

L'Amour de loin – ; Dawn Upshaw; Finnish National Opera; Esa-Pekka Salonen – Deutsche Grammophon DVD 00440 073 40264[50]

Gerald Finley

Nymphéa – Cikada String Quartet – ECM New Series 472 4222

[51]

Official website

at National Biography of Finland

Saariaho, Kaija (1952–)

Chester Music Composer's homepage

CompositionToday – Saariaho article and review of works

Kaija Saariaho – Virtual International Philharmonic

Grawemeyer Foundation page on Kaija Saariaho.

2003 – Kaija Saariaho.

Archived 12 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine at University of Turku

2003 honorary degree recipients

English language biography of Jean-Baptiste Barrière

Iitti, Sanna: International Alliance for Women in Music Journal, 2001.

"Kaija Saariaho: Stylistic Development and Artistic Principles."

(in French and English). IRCAM.

"Kaija Saariaho (biography, works, resources)"

Seter, Ronit: Musicology Now (American Musicological Society's blog), 15 June 2016.

Saariaho's L'amour de loin: First Woman Composer in a Century at the Metropolitan Opera.

Seter, Roni: NewMusicBox, 2 December 2016.

Getting Close with Saariaho and L'amour de loin.

Fiilin, Teemu: Music Finland, 13 November 2019.

Kaija Saariaho voted greatest living composer by BBC Music Magazine.

at IMDb

Kaija Saariaho

discography at Discogs

Kaija Saariaho