News
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New work for male choir – premiere and Japan tour
Olli Virtaperko’s latest work Yhdessä kuluu syysyö joutuin (“Together, the autumn night flies”) will be premiered 2 October 2026 in Espoo Cultural Centre by The Academic Male Choir Psaldo, followed by the choir’s concert tour in Japan, 17–24 October 2026.… -
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World premiere: Aarre for symphony orchestra and concert organ
Olli Virtaperko’s new work Aarre for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rieger concert organ of the Helsinki Music Centre will be premiered on February 14, 2024, at the Musica nova Helsinki festival. The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nicolò… -
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Virtaperko premiere at Avanti Chamber Club, September 14th
The second edition of Avanti! Chamber Orchestra’s new Chamber Club Series is programmed by Olli Virtaperko, who also hosts the event. The concert takes place on September 14th in Avanti’s Rehearse Hall at Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki. The program includes the premiere… -
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Autumn Updates and Progress Report on a New Composition for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concert Hall Organ at the Helsinki Music Centre
Olli Virtaperko’s new orchestral composition is set for its premiere in Autumn 2024 at the Helsinki Music Centre, performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and organist Susanne Kujala. While the composer has been hard at work in his studio on… -
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XIV Turku Cello Competition – premiere of Sitka (for violoncello solo)
Olli Virtaperko’s new work for cello, Sitka, receives 12 premier performances by the semifinalists of the XIV Turku Cello Competition on August 29-30. Sitka is Virtaperko’s sixth work for solo cello and it was commissioned by the Musical Society of… -
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Virtaperko in Tampere Biennale: Music for ”Old Europe” & Skärgården
The Guards Band (Kaartin soittokunta) will perform the new 2022 revision of Virtaperko’s wind orchestra work Music For ”Old Europe” in Tampere Biennale, 6 April 2022. The festival also features trio Superpluck playing Virtaperko’s virtuosic Skärgården. Olli Virtaperko’s Music for … -
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Autumn 2021: November Festival, Moiré and more
Olli Virtaperko’s autumn season 2021 highlights include the premiere of the new version of the natural horn concerto Moiré and Eija Kankaanranta performing Virtaperko’s kantele output in November Music festival. Composer himself remains busy with a solo cello commission for… -
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Premiere – Moiré for natural horn and Baroque orchestra
Olli Virtaperko’s brand new natural horn concerto Moiré (2020) will be premiered in Musica Nova Helsinki 2021 festival on the 7th of February 2021 by Tommi Hyytinen and Finnish Baroque Orchestra FiBO under Tomas Djupsjöbacka. Due to Covid-19 restrictions the… -
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Portrait of the composer Olli Virtaperko by Raimo Uunila
A short film of the composer Olli Virtaperko has been released as a part of the the documentary film project ”Composing out loud” by the Society of Finnish Composers. British music journalist Andrew Mellor was invited to author the films… -
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Arctic Viol Book in Musica nova Helsinki
Finland’s largest contemporary music festival, Musica nova Helsinki, features a concert of Olli Virtaperko’s compositions for viols, 5 February 2019 in Kamppi chapel, Helsinki. Under the title Arctic Viol Book, the concert includes solo pieces for treble and bass… -
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New web page launched
The revised Olli Virtaperko web page www.virtaperko.fi has been launched with a brand new design. The site introduces several new features and improvements, such as: – advanced search engine for the Works page that filters search results by category, instrumentation… -
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Two world premieres: works for Avanti! and solo harpsichord
Two world premieres by Olli Virtaperko will take place in the summer season. Fantasia ”Liberazione” for harpsichod in meantone temperament will be premiered by Marianna Henriksson on 17 June in Helsinki, and the consort song Hämäläisten jumalat will be premiered… -
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Four years of twists and turns: interview by Jimmy Träskelin
“Helsinki-based composer Olli Virtaperko attained a physical outcome to a four-year project with the release of an album of three extensive concertos on the Ondine label in October 2017. The details of the Romer’s Gap disc are a fascinating reflection… -
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New CD: Romer’s Gap – three concertos by Olli Virtaperko
Romer’s Gap, a new CD release by Ondine includes three new concertos by Olli Virtaperko, recorded by the Jyväskylä Sinfonia under conductor Ville Matvejeff. Romer’s Gap is a concerto for electrically amplified cello featuring as soloist Perttu Kivilaakso, best known… -
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October New Music: focus Virtaperko
Thursday 28 September – Sunday 1 October 2017, Oulu, Finland Olli Virtaperko will be the focus composer of the October New Music festival 2017 (Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu) in Oulu, Northern Ostrabothnia, Finland. The 13th edition of October New… -
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Romer’s Gap nominated for The Teosto Prize
Olli Virtaperko’s concerto for amplified cello and orchestra, Romer’s Gap, has been selecteed as one of the six nominees for The Teosto Prize 2017. Lead by violinist Pekka Kuusisto, the jury described Romer’s Gap as such: ”A concerto pure and… -
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Multikolor: full concert video
Video of Multikolor, a concerto for baritone saxophone and ensemble. Performed by Joonatan Rautiola (baritone saxophone soloist) and the TampereRaw ensemble under Tuomas Turriago. Recorded 30 October 2016 at Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland.… -
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Praise for Virtaperko’s ”five-star saxophone concerto” Multikolor
Review of the premiere performance of Multikolor by critique Harri Hautala. Newspaper Aamulehti, 31 October 2016. (Translation by Juhana Rossi, original Finnish article here.) Virtaperko’s five-star saxophone concerto is beautiful modernism. A rare event occurred at the Tampere Hall… -
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IN FOCUS: Romer’s Gap for amplified cello and orchestra (2016)
by Andrew Mellor Only in Finland has the cello – that instrument we think of as mellow and elegiac – found itself a firm foothold in the world of rock music. Olli Virtaperko’s new concerto for amplified cello Romer’s Gap… -
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Two premieres: In nomine ‘Shivering’ & Meren päällä ohuempaa
Two ensemble works for early music instruments by Olli Virtaperko, In nomine ‘Shivering’ for viol consort a5 and Meren päällä ohuempaa (Thinner above the sea) for Renaissance recorder quartet will be premiered in May-June. In nomine ’Shivering’ (2015) continues Virtaperko’s… -
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New press photos
Three new press photos by Maarit Kytöharju were shot at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art in the autumn 2015 during the exhibition NUBBEN / LARS–GUNNAR NORDSTRÖM. The composers describes his relationship with Nordström’s art as such: ”Lars-Gunnar… -
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Latest addition: new work for Renaissance recorder quartet
Virtaperko’s new work Meren päällä ohuempaa (Thinner above the sea) for the Renaissance recorder quartet Bravade focuses on timbre, musical colour and their gradual evolving and changing. The composer describes the work process with Bravade as such: “I was impressed… -
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Taking note: Give some get some
”Art does not just magically appear in the world as a gift of grace that comes from divine inspiration. It is created through persistent and devoted work. This work is always funded by someone who has their own expectations of… -
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Premiere: Ambrosian Delights, the new chamber orchestra version
The new chamber orchestra version of Ambrosian Delights, Olli Virtaperko’s concerto for Knifonium synthesizer, will be premiered on October 21 by Jonte Knif (Knifonium) and Jyväskylä Sinfonia under Ville Matvejeff. Originally written for Knifonium and Baroque orchestra, the new…
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