Susanne Kujala 

Concert Organist

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Susanne Kujala studied organ at the Sibelius-Academy (Helsinki, Finland) with Markku Hietaharju and gained her Master of Music –degree in May 2006 with highest honors. Her debut concert on the organ of the Finlandia-Hall in Helsinki in February 2007 got extraordinarily positive reception in the Finnish media. Susanne Kujala has received one-year-grant from DAAD in 1999-2000 and grant from the Wihuri Foundation in 2003. She has attended master classes of Bine Bryndorf, Francesco di Lernia, Olli Porthan and Ludger Lohmann.

Kujala was finalist in the Second Kotka International Organ Competition 2005 (Finland) and received a honorary prize. Moreover she reached the semi-finals at the International Organ Competition “Max Reger and Olivier Messiaen” 2003 in Graz (Austria). One of her most important activities is the collaboration with composers and she has commissioned and premiered many works by Kalevi Aho, Friedrich Goldmann, Sampo Haapamäki, Osmo Honkanen, Sami Klemola, Veli Kujala, Ere Lievonen, Uljas Pulkkis, Vesa Valkama and Helmut Zapf. She has played recitals in Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom and in the USA.

Currently she is attaining her artistic Doctor of Music degree in the Sibelius-Academy on the theme “Collaboration between composer and organist”. The repertoire of her doctor concert cycle consists mainly of contemporary organ music but also of works by César Franck and Max Reger. Her debut CD "Organ Triptychon" was published in August 2008 on Fuga label.