SIBELIUS ACADEMY

The 'Sibelius Academy' (Finnish 'Sibelius-Akatemia'; Swedish 'Sibelius-Akademin') is a university level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland (also adult education centre in Järvenpää and training centre in Seinäjoki). The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European conservatories with roughly 1700 enrolled students. It was founded in 1882 as ''Helsingin Musiikkiopisto'' ("Helsinki Music Institute") and was renamed ''Sibelius-Akatemia'' in 1939 to honour its own former student and Finland's most celebrated composer Jean Sibelius.

Contents

Degrees

Junior Academy

Status of the Academy in Finland

Notable teachers and students

External links

Degrees

The primary degree at the Sibelius Academy is the Master of Music (MMus) degree. The school also offers postgraduate degrees with artistic and research options. The postgraduate degrees are the Licentiate of Arts in Music Lic.A. (Mus.) and the doctoral degree of Doctor of Arts in Music D.A. (Mus.)

Junior Academy

Junior Academy is nation-wide and open to gifted school children. Virtually every Finnish internationally recognized musician has spent adolescent years at the Junior Academy. It is not an actual study programme as each student follows his/her own curriculum. Classes are usually held on Saturdays. About half of the 130 students, who are school children, travel from outside the Greater Helsinki area for weekend music lessons at the Academy. Professors teach many of them in the same way as students of the programme for solo performance, i.e. two hours per week in their main instrument. Studies in composition, jazz and folk music are possible and supplementary subjects, orchestral playing, chamber music and music theory are also studied at the Junior Academy.

Status of the Academy in Finland

The role of the Academy in the Finnish musical field has been controversial. It is unique that one single institution has such a predominant role in a country. No real rivalry exists since the Academy is the only state-funded music university in Finland. It is therefore self-evident that virtually all of the most talented music students choose to apply for the Academy. The lack of healthy competition between two or more music schools in the country is not usually regarded as a positive thing. However, the student body of the Academy is extremely competitive, and in terms of international competition winners, the Academy qualifies as being among the top music schools in the world, along with Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, the Royal Academy of Music in London, Moscow Conservatory, Juilliard School in New York, and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
There is no tuition at the Academy, and the students have access to rehearsal rooms equipped with grand pianos for 24 hours a day. All instrumental students are also encouraged to attend chamber music weekends in Kallio-Kuninkala for free. It is an old manor located 30 kilometres north of Helsinki in beautiful surroundings. The Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra is the major orchestra frequently conducted by the most distinguished Finnish and international conductors. All string and wind instrument players are required to attend the orchestra every semester. The Helmi Vesa competition for pianists is arranged bi-annually, and the International Maj Lind Competition for pianists is arranged by the Academy as well.

Notable teachers and students

★ Linda Brava, violinist

★ Soile Isokoski, soprano

★ Sari Kaasinen, folk musician

★ Kita, drummer for hard rock band Lordi

★ Pekka Kuusisto, violinist

★ Magnus Lindberg, composer

★ Karita Mattila, soprano

★ Elina Mustonen, harpsichordist

★ Olli Mustonen, pianist

★ Arto Noras, student of Paul Tortelier

★ Sakari Oramo, the conductor of The Finnish Radio Symphony

★ Jorma Panula, conductor, composer and teacher

★ Martti Rousi, cello teacher

★ Einojuhani Rautavaara, composer

★ Kaija Saariaho, composer

★ Arja Saijonmaa, singer

★ Aulis Sallinen, composer

★ Matti Salminen, bass

★ Esa-Pekka Salonen, the conductor of the LA Philharmonic

★ Jukka-Pekka Saraste, former conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

★ Leif Segerstam, the conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic

★ Jean Sibelius, composer

★ Antti Siirala, the winner of the Dublin, Leeds, and Beethoven international piano competitions

★ Tarja Turunen, the former singer of the symphonic metal band Nightwish

★ Osmo Vänskä, the conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra

★ Paula Vesala, singer of PMMP

★ Apocalyptica, metal band

External links

★ Sibelius Academy

★ Effects of the Bologna Declaration on Professional Music Training in Europe

★ European Association of Conservatoires (AEC)