Silence festival 2025 artists

Hannu-Pekka Björkman

Hannu-Pekka Björkman is an award-winning Finnish actor, writer and columnist. He has worked with KOM Theatre, Lahti City Theatre, and the Finnish National Theatre, as well as in films. Björkman is well known for his roles in the films Eläville ja kuolleille and Ikitie, both of which earned him the Jussi Award.

Anna Hakula

Composer, sound artist, and architect Anna Hakula is interested in the intersections and boundaries between art forms, as well as the relationship between sound and space. She is especially inspired by collaborating with artists from other fields. Hakula’s works have been presented at events such as the Tampere Biennale, Musica Nova, Musikfest Wartin (Germany), Stockholm, Meidän Festival, and TAD Week. Her installations and sound art have also been exhibited at venues including Taide- ja museokeskus Sinka in Kerava, Myymälä2 Gallery, Pesula Gallery, and Hirvitalo. Her collaboration with media artist Milla Impola dates back to their teenage years in a punk band together.

Piia Komsi

Piia Komsi is an exceptional coloratura soprano whose voice captivates with its remarkable range, rich tonal palette, and virtuosic agility. Her repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary music, and her profound musicianship has made her a sought-after soloist internationally. Numerous contemporary composers have written works specifically for her unique voice.

Originally trained as a cellist, Komsi is also known as a rare coloratura soprano-cellist, performing while simultaneously singing and playing the cello. In recent years, she has composed bird-themed songs for soprano and appeared in performances ranging from Monteverdi to jazz improvisation.

Verneri Pohjola

Verneri Pohjola is a renowned Finnish trumpeter and composer, celebrated as one of Europe’s leading jazz artists. Known for his warm, vibrant tone and bold, creative compositions, he blends immersive melodies with a progressive style. His 2015 album Bullhorn was acclaimed by Jazzwise as “one of the finest albums of recent times” and won the Emma Award for Best Jazz Album. Pohjola received the prestigious Yrjö Award in 2017 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2021.

Born into a musical family, with his father Pekka Pohjola a noted musician, Verneri first gained attention leading the Ilmiliekki Quartet, which won the Teosto Award. His playing is marked by purity, lyricism, and originality, avoiding clichés of Nordic jazz.

In 2020, he released The Dead Don’t Dream, showcasing his unique voice and artistic vision. In 2022, he formed a new quartet with Kit Downes, Jasper Høiby, and Olavi Louhivuori; their debut album MONKEY MIND is set for release in 2023. Pohjola is also collaborating with composer Kaija Saariaho on a trumpet concerto premiering in 2023, further pushing jazz boundaries.

Kirke Karja

Kirke Karja (b. 1989) studied classical piano and jazz music at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, where she completed her doctoral studies focusing on composition techniques in contemporary jazz. She works as a composer, pianist, and actor, and serves as the chairperson of the Estonian Jazz Federation.

Since 2016, Kirke has performed in around 150 concerts outside Estonia, appearing in many notable European jazz festivals and venues such as La Dynamo, Punkt @ Banlieues Bleues, Punkt @ Kristiansand, Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria, Jazzfest Berlin, Donau115, 12points, Tampere Jazz Happening, Vossa Jazz, Jazzahead!, Jazzkaar, Raahe Jazz Festival, Sile Jazz, Parma Jazz, Jazz Jantar, Katowice JazzArt Festival, Sõru Jazz, Estonian Music Days, Jazz Middelheim, Luxembourg Jazz Rallye, Magnet Festival Wiesbaden, Jazz Forum St Etienne, Jazzweek Cologne, Winterjazz Köln, Unterfahrt Munich, Loft Köln, Darmstadt Jazzforum, and Südtirol Jazzfestival. Most of these performances are with her trio Karja/Renard/Wandinger.

As a composer, she has received commissions from the European Broadcast Union Jazz Orchestra, Pärnu City Orchestra, Latvian Radio Big Band, Machine à Trois (Luxembourg), Ludensemble, and others.

Petteri Kippo

Petteri Kippo (b. 1986) is a percussionist from Kälviä who picked up his first drumsticks at the age of six. During his teenage years, his interest expanded to the entire percussion family, leading him to study at the Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory and Helsinki Conservatory before graduating with a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy in spring 2019.

Petteri is known for his versatility, with a special passion for chamber music. He has performed both in orchestras and in independent projects, and is one of the founders of the Awake Percussion ensemble (2016). Since 2013, he has worked as a teacher and currently serves as a full-time percussion lecturer at Espoo Music Institute and as a part-time teacher at the Sibelius Academy. Petteri is highly regarded as an inspiring and dedicated educator.

In 2012, he won the Majaoja Percussion Competition Series A and received a special award for the performance of a chamber music piece. He is actively involved in percussion communities, including serving on the board of the Finnish Percussion Chamber Music Society.

Jukka Huitila

Jukka Huitila is a Finnish light artist and designer known for creating immersive, atmospheric light installations. With a background in visual arts and performing arts design, his work often blends technology with natural elements, exploring the dynamic interplay of light, space, and perception. Huitila's installations have been featured in public spaces, festivals, exhibitions and stages, where his innovative use of light transforms environments and captivates audiences. His designs emphasize minimalism and harmony, often evoking a sense of wonder and reflection.

Marina Cherry

Marina Cherry is…of a breed that is hard to define. As many humans are, she is a multitude of layered bits and pieces. A contortionist-acro-dancer, educated at ESAC (Brussels 2016-2019) and ENC (Montreal 2014-2016), she is primarily focused on her solo work, recently premiering “AVoid”, while continuing to tour her other solo Only Bones v.1.6. She is as well part of Belgian companies Les Argonauts and Petri Dish. Her research-based approach to creation and performing puts her somewhere between dance, contemporary circus and physical theatre; with her body as the tool of manipulation and method for redefining traditional constructs and deconstructing techniques to find her own language.

Heli Hartikainen

Heli Hartikainen is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and sound artist known for pushing boundaries in Finland’s experimental and ambient jazz scene. They create music where sonic textures, abstractions, and evolving soundscapes intertwine, showcasing the possibilities of artistic experimentation. As a dedicated instrumentalist, Hartikainen constantly expands the limits of their saxophone and expression. Their debut solo album, CHRONOVARIATIONS, an immersive 3D audio piece, won the Finnish Critics’ Association’s Kritiikin Kannukset honorary prize in 2025 for the year’s biggest artistic breakthrough and was nominated for the 2024 Emma Award for Best Jazz Album.

Hartikainen studied classical clarinet, jazz saxophone, folk music, and improvisation, earning a Master’s degree from Sibelius Academy. Their focus included ancient improvisation, Finnish folk repetition, electroacoustic music, spatial audio, and live electronics. Their work has featured at festivals like Ung Nordisk Musik and Nordic Music Days 2024.

Mesi Lounela

Mesi is a circus artist from Helsinki whose journey into the circus world began at Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth’s Elf School and later in Cirkus Helsinki’s performing group. Her passion and dedication eventually led her to Paris, where she began her studies at L’Academie Fratellini in 2020, specializing in hand-balancing.

Since graduating in 2023, Mesi has worked with Jeanne Mordoj’s Compagnie BAL in the piece Cousumain and with the collective Les Josianes in the production Josianes ou l’art de la résistance.

A multidisciplinary artist, Mesi is also deeply inspired by painting, dance, and writing. The joy of learning and drawing inspiration from new experiences is central to both her artistic work and her life.

Maija Hynninen

Maija Hynninen is a Finnish composer working across concert music, electronic instrument design, and multidisciplinary performances. Her music is built on moments where acoustic and electronic sounds transform reality, creating space for alternative experiences. Hynninen’s works have been performed and commissioned by numerous domestic and international ensembles and musicians, including Yleisradio, Ensemble Mise-En, Avanti!, and the Helsinki Chamber Choir. Her music has been featured at several international festivals such as Musica nova Helsinki, Nordic Music Days, and the San Francisco Tape Music Festival. She holds a Doctorate in Composition from UC Berkeley and has studied at the Sibelius Academy, Norwegian Academy of Music, and IRCAM. Hynninen has received awards including UC Berkeley’s Eisner Prize and the Prix de Paris, and she has been granted several scholarships from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Jerry Piipponen

Jerry Piipponen is a percussionist based in Helsinki, originally from Lahti. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Sibelius Academy. From 2016 to 2018, Piipponen worked as a substitute in the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and currently serves as the associate principal percussionist of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since 2022, he has been teaching percussion at the Sibelius Academy.

In addition to his orchestral work, Piipponen co-founded the Awake Percussion Quartet and the Kaaos Ensemble. He is the chairperson of the Percussion Chamber Music Association and the vice chair of the RSO orchestra council. Beyond music and organizational activities, his life is enriched by family, renovating a post-war house, and training for triathlons.

Tuomas Siddall

Tuomas Siddall, a Finnish-English musician, began his musical journey at the Espoo Music Institute. His interest deepened when he first experienced playing in an orchestra with the Tapiola Young Symphony Orchestra. He continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy’s youth department and later progressed to the main department, graduating with a Master’s degree in Music in 2023. During his studies, Tuomas also spent a year at ESMUC, the music university in Barcelona. His passion for orchestral playing remains strong, and he currently works as the principal percussionist at the Finnish National Opera Orchestra. Tuomas also greatly enjoys chamber music, especially performing new and contemporary works.

Josefiina Vannesluoma

Josefiina Vannesluoma is a jazz and contemporary composer, singer, and flutist based in Helsinki. Her solo project, The Mortal Lease, inspired by Edith Wharton’s sonnets, was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the 2023 Emma Awards. She is also an artist for the 2025 Turku Jazz Festival, where she will present new chamber music-influenced compositions with her ensemble, featuring a string quartet and harp.

Josefiina leads and composes for the vocal ensemble Signe, which has received two Emma Award nominations and a Teosto Prize nomination. Born in Turku, she began her musical studies with classical flute and choral singing before developing a passion for bossa nova and jazz. She studied jazz singing and music education at the University of the Arts Helsinki, with additional studies in the USA and Sweden. Josefiina founded Jazz Voice School Helsinki and is a permanent pop and jazz vocal instructor at the Turku Conservatory.

Riikka Keränen

Riikka Keränen, born in Oulu, Finland, is a distinctive jazz vocalist and composer on the Finnish music scene. Her 2022 debut album, A Vision of a Garden (Flame Jazz Records), blends jazz improvisation with evocative storytelling. The album, performed by her quartet with pianist Juho Valjakka, bassist Jori Huhtala, and drummer Anssi Tirkkonen, focuses on love’s many facets and redefines traditional jazz trio forms, offering fresh improvisational challenges.

Keränen is equally at ease leading ensembles in concert halls or intimate jazz clubs worldwide, captivating audiences with her rich, dark tone, refined phrasing, and scatting. Holding a Master’s degree in jazz performance from Sibelius Academy, she has also studied at Guildhall School of Music (London) and Malmö Music Academy (Sweden). Her early musical background includes accordion and electric bass, which deepened her musical listening skills.

Keränen has performed with groups such as the Emma-nominated vocal ensemble Signe and children’s band Megasakki, recording for Finnish labels including Flame Jazz Records.

Topias Toppinen

Topias Toppinen is a freelance lighting designer and artist based in Helsinki, who dreams of heavy light. Central to Toppinen’s artistic inquiry are the material qualities of light and the practice of working in a space-sensitive manner. In recent years, he has worked extensively across Finland in the field of performing arts, contributing to productions such as Crime and Punishment (Q-Theatre, Helsinki, 2025), Adventure in Wonderland (Dance Theatre Raatikko, Vantaa, 2024), and Strategies of Attack and Defense (Routa Company, Kajaani, 2023). Toppinen earned his Master of Arts in Theatre from the Theatre Academy in 2024.

Mau Cugat

Mau Cugat is a transdisciplinary Argentine artist based in France. Their work crosses movement, circus, theater, and visual arts—not as fixed territories, but as spaces in transition. From dance to acrobatics, from stage to installation, their practice breaks boundaries and creates a unique language where body, gestures, and materials constantly recombine.

Mau is a force of transformation—a mutating body that breaks and reforms, a fleeing organism. They resist any fixed form, embodying a dynamic of constant deterritorialization, where movement is not only physical but also conceptual and political.

They thrive in contradiction: everything and nothing at once, fragment and whole; a space where art dissolves only to redefine itself.

Lisa Marie Ødegaard

Lisa Marie Lou Oedegaard is a Norwegian circus artist based in Toulouse, France, specializing in Chinese pole and physical theatre. She began her circus journey in 2005 at Fjordanen Circus School as a passionate juggler and continued her training at AFUK in Copenhagen (2006–2008), focusing on Chinese pole. Lisa graduated from the renowned Le Lido circus school in Toulouse in 2015.

She has performed with Les Colporteurs in Sous la Toile de Jeronimous (2016–2019) and is a founding member of Collectif Sous le Manteau, known for the shows MONSTRO, Pylône, and MIKADO. Lisa also performs in the clown duo The Norwegian Ninjas, which produced the Extravaganza cabaret between 2017 and 2020.

In addition to performing, Lisa teaches Chinese pole at Ésacto’Lido and offers workshops across various European circus schools. Currently, she is studying magic in the Magie Nouvelle program at CNAC and developing her solo piece L’ombre de Kruskelusk.

Aino Savolainen

AINO SAVOLAINEN (they/she) is a contemporary circus and dance artist, specialized in Cyr wheel and dance acrobatics. They graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Circus Arts from Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH/DOCH) in 2018, and has since created their own artistic work, taken part in multidisciplinary artistic collaborations and worked with several established performing art companies.

Aino is interested in process and working group -oriented approaches, working with emotions, exploring the intersections of movement and sound, and creating immersive experiences that challenge social and performance-related norms. They dream of an anti-facist and environmentally just world, and think of art as a transformative force when facing the global polycrisis.

Kristian Smeds

Kristian Smeds (born 1970) is a Finnish theatre artist and trans-medium. Smeds walks a narrow path between the worlds of art and spirit. He is drawn to all action that heals and halts — that transforms and arrests.

Lauri Pekkarinen

Lauri Pekkarinen (b. 1991) is a percussionist from Liminka, Finland, currently serving as the principal percussionist of the Lappeenranta City Orchestra. He has previously worked with the Kuopio City Orchestra and performed widely with various orchestras across Finland. Pekkarinen is a member of the Awake Percussion ensemble and serves as one of the artistic directors of the Kumaus Festival. He began his studies at Liminka Music Institute and continued at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Sibelius Academy, and Universität der Künste Berlin. His teachers have included Tim Ferchen, Lassi Erkkilä, and David Punto. He has also refined his skills through masterclasses with artists such as Nick Woud and Eric Sammut. Pekkarinen is inspired by the versatility of percussion instruments and their possibilities in both rhythmic and classical music. He especially enjoys chamber music and exploring new timbres. In the orchestra, he primarily plays timpani, but the ever-evolving world of percussion constantly offers new discoveries.

Aino Tenkanen

I am a composer who graduated with a Master’s degree in Composition from the Sibelius Academy in 2020. My works enrich the Finnish art scene with a sense of playfulness and surprise. My repertoire consists primarily of acoustic compositions ranging from solo pieces to symphonic works and chamber operas, often infused with prepared instruments or performative elements that challenge traditional concert conventions.

At the moment, I am particularly inspired by interdisciplinary collaboration, improvisation, and producing electronic-like soundscapes using acoustic instruments. My music has been performed by, among others, the Vaasa and Hyvinkää City Orchestras, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Avanti!, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in New York, and the Elja Ensemble in Iceland.

My work during 2025–2026 is supported by a two-year grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation (SKR).

Mila Laine

Mila Laine is a cellist, musician, and composer working at the intersection of music, theatre, and performance art. Her expressive approach blends the cello with electronic elements, improvisation, and composed music, resulting in distinctive and multi-layered soundscapes. She performs in a wide range of ensembles, works as a studio musician and arranger, and draws inspiration from diverse musical traditions — recently with a special focus on Arabic music. At the heart of her artistic work lies the encounter and the connection it creates. Mila has composed music for theatre, film, and dance productions, including works for the Finnish National Theatre and Routa Company.

Hildá Länsman

Hildá Länsman is a joik singer and songwriter from Utsjoki, Finland’s northernmost municipality. Growing up with Sámi traditions like reindeer herding, handicrafts, and joik, she combines her heritage with contemporary world music and studies from Sibelius Academy’s Global Music program. Known for her ethereal and powerful voice, Hildá is a prominent figure in Sámi music. She leads acclaimed groups Solju, VILDÁ, and Gájanas, and collaborates with Tuomas Norvio. Solju’s album Uvjamuohta won the 2023 International Indigenous Recording of the Year in Canada. VILDÁ’s debut Vildaluodda was named one of 2019’s best albums by Songlines and won the 2021 MME Talent Award. Gájanas’ 2021 debut won International Indigenous Artist-Group Recording of the Year and topped Canadian charts. Hildá is currently preparing a pioneering solo album mixing electronic joik, poetry, and dance music, to release with Tuomas Norvio in early 2025.

Tomi Knuutila

Tomi Knuutila (Doctor of Arts) is a media artist, sound tinkerer, and longtime friend of technology who weaves together visual worlds, machine logic, and creative chaos. He has worked in the fields of new media and media art for over 25 years — sometimes teaching, sometimes coding, sometimes on stage twisting knobs.

Tomi is known for his fearless approach to combining things that are rarely seen together: IoT and installation art, AI and poetry, or why not a DJ set with Timo K. Mukka. He has helped found international media networks such as DAMA and the UArctic Digital Media Network — but this festival night is not one of those.

Tonight, it’s all about the beats.

In DJ yourbartender’s sets, you’ll find rhythmic experimentation, audiovisual sensitivity, and technological humor. Expect urban grooves from around the globe, nostalgic vibes, and unexpected twists — often layered thick, like a sonic collage.

Lauri Uusitalo

Lauri Uusitalo (b. 1987) is a Finnish sound designer and musician working across a broad spectrum of audio and musical expression. His recent work includes sound design for dance performances, short films, and media art, as well as the development of his own solo electronic material. In his electroacoustic practice, eclectic technical experimentation is woven into a metamodern continuum that balances intuition and structural clarity. Uusitalo draws from inner visions and the sounds of the world, seeking resonance between the personal and the shared. His work often grows from intuitive listening and a sensitive perception of the surrounding, exploring texture, space, and emotion through sound. As a musician, he has performed as a guitarist and keyboardist in various Finnish bands and collaborative projects. On stage, he is known for his sensitivity, experimental approach, and distinctive voice. He is also a sound artist and producer in the EdwXcaS collective.

Tuomas Norvio

Tuomas Norvio is a sound designer and sound artist with a background in electronic music. Nowadays, he often works across different art forms. His work focuses on sound masses, the use of acoustic and concrete elements as sound material, and their manipulation. In recent years, Norvio has specialized particularly in the spatiality of sound.

He has created music and sound for contemporary dance, contemporary circus, multidisciplinary works, installations, and other artists. Norvio has collaborated with Tero Saarinen, Johanna Nuutinen, Kimmo Pohjonen, Tapani Rinne, RinneRadio, Ensemble Gamut!, Pekka Kuusisto, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Thom Monckton, and Sari Palmgren. Additionally, he performs as a duo with Hildá Länsman and in the Pohjonen Alanko trio. Norvio has received the Säde and Teosto awards for his work.