Allow Me to Introduce Myself!
Read about who I am, what I do, and who I work with on this page. If you’re looking for upcoming events or my compositions, please select one of the options below!
About Me
Who am I?
I’m a young Finnish composer living in Vienna! I was born in 2003 in a small town in Finland called Uusikaupunki. My main things in life are composing music (number one!), writing poetry and novels (about a fish who wants to be a captain), and doing visual arts like drawing and painting. And I wear my starhat everywhere like it’s glued to my head. Currently, I’m studying at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna as a composition major.
Intro
What kind of music do you make?
Craft worlds, not music – I’m not interested in sound in a mathematical way – I’m interested in people, in the way you hear that familiar melody and remember your childhood, the way a certain poem moves you to tears, something that goes deeper than your skin.
I use stories to achieve this: they are the oldest form of art. And I adore them! By combining story with music, I wish to offer you a special experience, almost a kind of musical empathy. The stories I use cover everything from fantasy worlds to raw history, mental health, and sometimes just sparkles in the mundanity of life.
Image: Composing at Turun konservatorio.
What are your most notable achievements?
My works have been performed by a lot of spectacular professional musicians in many festivals and concerts. This includes chamber music festivals, a symphony orchestra and many concert series. Overall, I’ve premiered at least 35 works. My film and animation scores have also received widespread acclaim from festivals, directors and viewers, and I have even collaborated on a film project produced in the USA.
But I feel like my real best achievements are the moments when listeners, collaborators, performers or commissioners really connect with my work!
Image: Conducting my own compositions in my concert.
Background
What’s your background?
I do not come from a wealthy or musical family, and none of my relatives is musicians. When I was around five years old, I started playing with a dusty, old synth, trying to make my own songs with it. My mom (who was a stay-at-home mom of four while my dad was studying at a university) would then secretly save up money to buy us a piano, which allowed me to take piano lessons.
Growing up in a small town, I knew no other composers. Without role models or any available help, I loaned music theory books from the local library and tried to figure things out on my own. Thanks to my supportive piano teacher, I got to perform my own compositions in my own concerts.
After I graduated from high school, I began my studies at Turku Conservatory of Music. I later graduated with a degree in Music Technology (a valuable skill for today’s composers, I think!). Nowadays, I study composition as my major at a music university in Vienna.
Wait, so what’s with the starhat?
Many people compliment me about my starhat – and many thanks for that! I embroidered it myself when I was 18 years old. It doesn’t have any real constellations on it, because it’s a model of my fantasy book’s sky that I painstakingly created to be scientifically accurate. I’ve worn it every day for over five years, and it’s sort of my brand now. If I’m wearing it, I’m in professional mode: come say hello!
Image: The infamous starhat!
Collaborations
Who do you work with?
I collaborate with various musicians of all levels, festivals and organisers, students and professionals in film and other mediums, singers and songwriters, writers… And if your event needs music, be it anything you can imagine, you can always send me a message.
I take all sorts of commissions, and I’m happy for all inquiries! If I’m unable to fulfil your request, I will do my best to direct you to the next possible best person I know.
Send me an email to contact@kuuraklaavu.com, use the contact form on this website or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook. My hat also accepts wishes made to falling stars!
Frequently Asked Questions
What file formats do you deliver finished music in?
Possible formats are: WAV, MP3, AIFF, stems, MIDI. For sheet music I can offer the full score + all parts with professional layouts and cover art.
Who owns the rights to your music?
Who can perform the music?
Anyone! The sheet music is available on my website for free. If you want to perform my music, you don’t need to ask for permission or even tell me. But if you do tell me when and where, I’ll try and come to listen!