“Many things worked really well at the Tampere Biennale 2024, where the theme was ‘Changing Worlds’. One of those things was coming up with new concepts to augment the traditional concert hall experience,” says Artistic Director Minna Leinonen with satisfaction.
Composer Joonas Kokkonen observed in 1967 that art seeks to create a new reality: in words, tones and colours, it brings forth new shapes and new ideas that up until then did not exist. Creating new things requires innovation in artistic planning too. Many things worked really well at the Tampere Biennale 2024, where the theme was ‘Changing Worlds’. One of those things was coming up with new concepts to augment the traditional concert hall experience.
Sirja Nironen and Antti Tiensuu gave a highly successful promenade concert (From Earth and Beyond) at the Sara Hildén Art Museum. It brought together the visual art exhibited, a short story by Eeva-Liisa Manner and contemporary music in a way that went above and beyond the conventional and raised us up with it. In Äänitarina Tammerkoskella [Sound story at Tammerkoski], listeners became part of the work as they walked around the historical city centre. The singing sculptures on Hämeensilta bridge brought art out of the concert hall into the everyday environment, restoring art as a component of our ordinary lives.
Hope amidst conflicts
Finnish contemporary music is a cornucopia of styles, emotional environments, backgrounds and elements. The festival presented music in multiple voices, genres and generations, including composers not previously featured at the festival. There were numerous world premieres that prompted discussion about how to create art and how to hear it. The programme showed that Finnish music is highly diverse, and this makes it interesting. With good programme planning, contemporary music should be able to find wider audiences both inside and outside concert halls.
Contemporary art can foster alternative ways of thinking about and experiencing things in this time, in this country. These values can be conveyed by performing more Finnish contemporary music in concerts – including pedagogical contemporary music. Life goes on in subsequent generations, fostering hope amidst conflicts. Addressing this requires pedagogical collaboration, which was also featured at the festival.
Stylistic constraints are of no importance to creative artists today, but funding for Finnish contemporary art is facing a devastating threat. It is estimated that fewer than one in five Finnish professional composers of art music can make a living by writing music, and this state of affairs is not likely to improve. According to Vappu Verronen, Executive Director of the Society of Finnish Composers, the actual figure may be even lower. Despite this, we should strive to imagine and create a sustainable future.
Artistic direction is a dialogue
It is impossible to execute artistic direction alone. Artistic planning with chamber music ensembles is an immediate and interactive dialogue, while talks with large organisations are negotiation-based teamwork where programme design is governed by a variety of parties, from conductors to managers and orchestras’ premiere agreements. Being an artistic director in a changing world requires a dialogue approach, not a monologue of edicts.
The practical delivery of the Tampere Biennale 2024 was managed by the festival team, which took care of performers and audiences alike, applied for funding, paid wages, booked venues, handled publicity and provided transport for performers. Solid support from a variety of networks and volunteers, and skilful and flexible navigation of the shifting sands of the unexpected, laid a firm foundation for a successful festival.
Many of the festival concerts were filled to capacity, and others broke attendance records. For this success we have many, many people to thank: the composers for their music; the performers for their dedication to Finnish contemporary music; the media for responding to music of our time; patrons of the arts and our partners for making the festival possible; and finally, audiences for coming to our concerts. All of you made contemporary music emerge for a while from its niche to become a vital voice of our time.
Minna Leinonen
Photo: Maarit Kytöharju