Kalevi Aho at 75

This year has marked the 75th anniversary of Kalevi Aho, one of Finland’s most celebrated contemporary composers. During the year there have been numerous concerts to mark the event.
The Saimaa Sinfonietta commissioned Kalevi Aho to write the 18th symphony, and the world premiere took place in Mikkeli on 8 February. The Oulu Symphony Orchestra under Jessica Cottis premiered Aho’s Double Concerto with Christel Lee (violin) and Jonathan Roozeman (cello) as the soloists on 25 April. Aho’s Concerto for Kantele and String Orchestra saw its first performance in August; the soloist in the Mikkeli City Orchestra’s concert was Laura Linkola.
New concertos and other commissioned works will follow, as Aho is a prolific composer much in demand.