The Muziekgebouw Amsterdam pays tribute to Kaija Saariaho with the Saariaho Festival, taking place March 13-16.
The four-day Saariaho Festival, co-curated by Oscar Zepeda Arias (Wise Music Group) and Fedor Teunisse (Asko|Schönberg), will include performances, films, installations, lectures, and masterclasses. The festival will be joined by such artists as Verneri Pohjola, Peter Sellars, Meta4, Amin Maalouf, Helsinki Chamber Choir, John Paul Jones, Tuomas Norvio, Anssi Karttunen, Vasco Mendonça, Asko|Schönberg, among others.
Before each evening concert, an introduction will be given by musicians and guest speakers who are closely connected to Saariaho's life and work. Including Peter Sellars, Amin Maalouf, James Rushton, Nora Kimball, Tero Saarinen, among others.
The film programme includes the recording of Kaija Saariaho's opera Innocence and the documentary Echoes of the Universe. An exhibition with scores, sketches, photos and videos that provide an insight into the world of Kaija Saariaho.
Throughout her career, Kaija Saariaho collaborated with numerous prominent musicians, conductors and directors. They played a crucial role in the development and performance of her oeuvre. At the Saariaho Festival, four masterclasses – by Peter Sellars, Anssi Karttunen, Meta4 and Verneri Pohjola – shed light on these unique relationships.
