Mikko Heiniö
Encyclopedia
Life
Heiniö was born in in TampereTampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, and studied composition with Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen was a Finnish composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius; his opera The Last Temptations has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.-...
and piano with Liisa Pohjola at the Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
in Helsinki from 1971 to 1975, and then studied composition with Witold Szalonek in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
from 1975–77 while at the same time beginning studies in musicology at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
. He earned a diploma in composition from the Sibelius Academy in 1977, and a doctorate in musicology in 1984 from the University of Helsinki, where he lectured between 1977 and 1985 (Murtomäki 2001). He was appointed professor of musicology at the University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
in 1986, composer-in-residence of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Turku, Finland. It is the oldest orchestra in Finland and one of the oldest orchestras in the world that is still performing....
in 1997, and has served as Chairman of the Society of Finnish Composers since 1992.
Heiniö's compositions include seven piano concertos and numerous symphonic and chamber works. He has written two operas: the church opera Riddaren och draken (The Knight and the Dragon, 2000), and Käärmeen hetki (The Hour of the Serpent), premièred in September 2006.
Heiniö is also a noted writer on music, specializing in the subject of new Finnish music. He has written thirty books and nearly a hundred articles. His music has been recorded on the BIS
BIS Records
BIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden.BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings....
label, among others.