Ilkka Kuusisto
Ilkka Kuusisto | |
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 Kuusisto in 2011 | |
| Born | 26 April 1933 Helsinki, Finland |
| Died | 20 February 2025 (aged 91) |
| Occupations |
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| Organizations |
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| Awards | Order of the Lion of Finland |
Ilkka Taneli Kuusisto (26 April 1933 – 20 February 2025) was a Finnish opera composer, conductor, choirmaster, and organist. He began his career as a church organist, worked for the broadcaster Yle and as artistic director of the publisher Musiikki-Fazer. He was choirmaster of the Finnish National Opera chorus and the Radio Symphony Chorus, and was general manager of the opera from 1984 and 1992. He was one of Finland's most prolific composer of operas.
Early life and education
[edit]Kuusisto was born in Helsinki on 26 April 1933,[1] the son of the composer and music educator Taneli Kuusisto.[2][3] He studied at the Sibelius Academy (now part of the University of the Arts Helsinki), qualifying as an organist in 1954, and as a music teacher in 1958.[1] He studied composition with Aarre Merikanto and Nils-Eric Fougstedt, among others,[2] and afterwards furthered his studies in Vienna and New York City.[1]
Career
[edit]Kuusisto started his career as a church organist, working in that role for nearly two decades.[1][4]
He conducted the Helsinki City Theatre orchestra for most of the 1960s.[1] He taught at Sibelius Academy from 1975 to 1984.[1] He worked for many years in the music department of the Finnish public broadcaster Yle, and also was the artistic director of a leading Finnish music publishing company, Musiikki-Fazer,[1][4] from 1981 to 1984.[2]
Kuusisto worked extensively as a choirmaster, conducting the Finnish National Opera chorus and the Radio Symphony Chorus for several years. He worked with many other choirs.[1][3]
He was general manager of the National Opera from 1984 and 1992.[1][2][3]
Personal life
[edit]Kuusist's two sons, Jaakko (1974–2022) and Pekka (born 1976), are also known as conductors, composers, as well as violinists.[1]
Ilkka Kuusisto died on 20 February 2025, at the age of 91.[5]
Works
[edit]Kuusisto's compositions covers a broad range of genres, including opera, stage and film music, jazz and choral works.[1] He was one of Finland's most prolific composers of operas, from humourous works to grand opera, including musicals for children. His works include:[6]
Orchestral
[edit]- Symphony No. 1 (1998)
- Concertino improvvisando for violin & small orchestra (2006)
Vocal
[edit]- Kun talo alkaa soida (When the House Begins to Resound) for baritone & orchestra (1992)
Opera
[edit]- Muumiooppera (1974)
- Miehen kylkiluu (1977)
- Sota valosta (1980)
- Jääkäri Ståhl (1981)
- Pierrot ja yön salaisuudet (1991)
- Postineiti (1992)
- Neiti Julie (1994)
- Gabriel, tule takaisin! (1998)
- Isänmaan tyttäret (1998)
- Nainen kuin jäätynyt samppanja (1999)
- Kuninkaan sormus (2000)
- Pula! (2002)
- Matilda ja Nikolai (2003)
- Kotia kohti (2006)
- Vapauden vanki (2006)
- Taipaleenjoki (2009)
Screen
[edit]- Rakkaus alkaa aamuyöstä (1966)
Awards and honours
[edit]In 1984, Kuusisto received the Pro Finlandia medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.[7] In 1992, he was awarded an honorary doctorate (Professori).[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Kuusisto, Ilkka". Uppslagsverket.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Ilkka Kuusisto". Fennica Gehrman. 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Kuusisto, Ilkka (1933–)". Kansallisbiografia.fi (in Finnish). National Biography of Finland. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Ilkka Kuusisto halusi merille mutta päätyi musiikin monipuolisuusmieheksi" (in Finnish). Yle. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Eromäki, Veikko (20 February 2025). "Säveltäjä Ilkka Kuusisto on kuollut" (in Finnish). YLE. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "Ilkka Kuusisto". Music Finland. February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ "Suomen Letjonan Pro Finlandia - Mitalin Saajat 1945-2021". Ritarikunnat.fi (in Finnish). The Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
External links
[edit]
- Ilkka Kuusisto discography at Discogs
- Ilkka Kuusisto at IMDb
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1933 births
- 2025 deaths
- People from Helsinki
- Finnish opera composers
- Finnish male opera composers
- 20th-century Finnish male musicians
- 20th-century Finnish classical composers
- 21st-century classical composers
- 21st-century Finnish male musicians
- 21st-century Finnish composers
- Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland