Church Music in Finland
Finland, a North European country of 5.5 million inhabitants, boasts high-quality church music of considerable variety, especially considering the country’s size. Nearly 80% of the Finnish people are members of the Lutheran church, and the number of church music enthusiasts is growing. This presentation gives a general overview of Finnish church music: the profession and the education of cantors, organ building, music activity in congregations, concerts, compositions, and church music for children. It also explores why the Finnish music scene has produced significant international composers, conductors, singers, and other musicians throughout its history.
Timo Kiiskinen
Timo Kiiskinen (b. 1960), doctor of music, works as an organ and church music lecturer at Sibelius-Academy, Helsinki, Finland. Before this position, he worked for nearly twenty years as a cantor in several congregations. He has enjoyed a career in many fields: organ, improvisation, singing, choral music, education, composing, etc. In his artistic work, he now concentrates on making music with his baroque ensemble, Galantina (www.galantina.info).