Barbara Helsingius
(born in 1937, in Helsinki, Finland, resident in Espoo, Finland), composer. Originally a physical education, teacher, she obtained MA in an education at Stanford University in the 60's. She left teaching, began working freelance for Finnish radio and was involved in a popular TV-series where she got a chance to sing. She has also had very successful concerts and gigs in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Japan, Germany and Latvia. She has written more than 700 texts-originals and interpretations. She worked freelance, until recently, at YLE International, Radio Finland. She teaches guitar accompaniment, the writing of lyrics and interpretation. She has been honoured as a singer-songwriter & cultural personality as well as for her work on behalf of Nordic music. She has twelve albums with her own songs and Finnish songs sung in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and English. She has been on the board of many music and cultural organizations: former chair of Finnish singing society Helsingin Laulelman Ystävät (friends of ballad music); former chair and now honorary member of singing society Visans Vänner i Helsingfors, honorary member of Women and Music and of Yrkestrubadurernas Förening in Stockholm (association of professional troubadours); elected member of Svenska Visakademien (Swedish academy of songs).
Selected recordings: First album American folk in Finnish; Speiling (Reflection) 1981 Norway; Own Songs 1981; two song books in Swedish: Vill du visor min vän? and Kanske en visa (Schildts) and a booklet with her translations of songs based on poems by the great Eino Leino; Songs Finland Sings, a book with her English versions of much loved Finnish Songs and produced two CD s with some of the material sung by thirty popular artists; Nordic songs 1992; Such is our life 1996; Composed poetry 1982,
Awards: Alf Hambe and Nils Ferlin awards in Sweden; the Finnish-Norwegian cultural foundation prize; the NordVisa statuette; in Finland, the Pro Cultura Esbo
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Beata Hlavenková (Morávková)
(born in 1978 in Czech Republic), composer. She studied composition in classical music at the Janácek Conservatory in Ostrava. In 2004 she graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst USA, with a Master's Degree in composition, jazz composition and arranging. In 2003, during her American studies, she was selected for "The Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residential program" for young composers and players in the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC. At present, she has her own jazz music trio, working with leading players like drummer Martin Novák and bassist Rastislav Uhrík, as well as drummers Pavel Bady Zboril, Jirí Slavícek, Roman Vícha and bass players Tomáš Liška and Martin Lehký. In October 2008 a large concert of jazz bands took place in the Rudolfinum concert hall, where she expanded her trio to include the Prague Chamber Philharmonic and Lenka Dusilová. She has appeared in the "S‟aight" project as composer with the guitarist and composer Patrik Hlavenka and, in 2004, released an album of the same title. In 2008, she again played with Rich Perry at the Jazz Fest in Brno and for an international radio transmission by EBU, and in the autumn of 2009 Rich toured with The Beata's Trio. Her musical activities range beyond jazz and classical music. Since 2005, the focus of her activities in the field of pop music, it has been collaboration with Lenka Dusilová, which resulted in a unique project called Eternal Seekers, and together with the band The Clarinet Factory, Beata was co-composer as well as arranger. The keynote album Joy for Joel (2009 Animal Music), was recorded in the U.S.A. She has worked as a music teacher at The Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory and Higher Specialised School, and currently at The New York University in Prague and has participated in the curriculum for the first Czech university study of jazz music begun at the Janacek Academy of Performing Arts in Brno, in 2010.
Selected works: The keynote album Joy for Joel (2009, Animal Music)
Awards: In October 2005, she and the trio (R. Uhrik and R. Vicha) won the Jazz Junior prize 2005 for "Band of the Year, composition and arrangement".
Contact: beatahlavenkova.com
Carita Holmström
(born in 1954, in Helsinki, Finland, resident there), composer, pianist, arranger, singer and teacher with emphasis on piano improvisation. Her music style varies from jazzy chansons to chamber music, music for choir, musicals, classical song cycles, ballet music and even a chamber opera. Her popular music has been published on many records since 1973 (We are what we do). She has represented Finland in many international Festivals, also in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with the song Keep Me Warm and finished 13th. She likes to perform with smaller group, combining unusual instruments in order to get now acoustic colours. She is professor at the Sibelius-Academy, teaching piano and improvisation. She has also worked as a conductor for theatre productions.
Selected recordings: We are What We do, 1973; Toinen levy, 1974; Two faces, 1980, duo with double bass Teppo Hauta-aho; Aquamarin, 1984; Time of Growing, 1990, with her group Players Unlimited; DUO!, 1994 with Teppo Hauta-aho.; My Diary of Songs 2010, CD.
Selected works: Song cycle: Livets namn for soprano; Aspects du Printemps, suite for solo organ published by Sulasol/Finland; Dona nobis pacem mass for horn and organ published by Sulasol/ Finland; Dreams trio for clarinet, cello and piano published by Opus Musicus; Paintings at an exhibition suite for 2 pianos and four hands.
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