Concerts » Santeri Siimes, Helsinki

Date

01.07.25

Day

Tuesday

Time

20:00

Born in Helsinki in 1981, Santeri Siimes studied the organ and the piano at the Sibelius Academy, with Harri Viitanen, Meri Louhos and Carlos Juris among his teachers, and extended his organ studies in Naji Hakim’s master class in 1999. Although with a varied repertoire ranging from early music to contemporary composers, as an interpreter, Siimes has devoted himself in particular to 19th and 20th century French and Belgian organ music. He has performed throughout Finland, as well as in France, e.g. at Notre-Dame de Paris in 2009, in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the Vatican.

As a composer, Siimes is an autodidact. His output consists of over 160 works, including twelve organ symphonies and other solo compositions for organ, piano, harpsichord, guitar, and flute, as well as chamber, orchestral, and vocal music. Siimes’ first solo cd, including his 10th and 11th Organ Symphonies, was released in 2010 (available at www.fuga.fi). In 2011 his Trois études were awarded second prize in the international Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Composition Contest in France. He has received composition commissions from Finland, Spain, and the United States.

Besides his activity in the musical field, Santeri Siimes has studied Romance Philology at the University of Helsinki, served as teacher of several Romance languages, and translated Galician literature into Finnish.