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Veli Kujala (Concert accordionist, composer) |
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Veli Kujala gained his Master of Music degree at the Sibelius Academy in 2004 with highest honors. He is a prize-winner of many international soloist and concert accordion competitions, including first prize in the International Lasse Pihlajamaa Competition in Tampere 2001 and fourth prize in the International Gaudeamus Competition for interpreters of new music in Rotterdam 2001. As a composer he has been awarded among others the second prize and the public prize in the international organ composition contest “Catedral del Buen Pastor de Donostia-San Sebastian” 2007, the first prize in the composition contest organized by Espoo International Piano Week 2007 and public prize in Brussels Jazz Orchestra’s international composition contest 2003. He is currently attaining his artistic Doctor of Music degree in the Sibelius-Academy focusing on Finnish contemporary accordion music. He has performed as a soloist with ensembles including Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, the Kymi Sinfonietta, the Pori Sinfonietta, the Västerås Sinfonietta, Östgöta Blåsarsymfoniker and Insomnio. He works also as a jazz musician in many ensembles including the latin jazz band Pipoka, eclectic jazz group Gourmet and free jazz band K-18. As an arranger he has worked with Finnish National Opera and in many different music theatre productions. His compositions have been performed in Finland, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Japan by among others organists Susanne Kujala, Ville Urponen and pianist Izumi Tateno. He has performed in numerous festivals in many European countries and in the USA. Veli Kujala has worked together with contemporary composers and premiered accordion concertos by Pekka Pohjola and Markus Fagerudd. He has also premiered many solo and chamber works by Kalevi Aho, Friedrich Goldmann, Pasi Lyytikäinen, Uljas Pulkkis, Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Tomi Räisänen, Vesa Valkama, Olli Virtaperko, Matthew Whittall and Helmut Zapf. The collaboration between composer Sampo Haapamäki and Veli Kujala has led into an invention of a new instrument, a quarter tone accordion. Sampo Haapamäki's concerto for this instrument entitled "Velinikka" was premiered by Veli Kujala and Insomnio conducted by Ulrich Pöhl in Amsterdam, September 2008. Since 2005 Veli Kujala has been teaching accordion playing at the Sibelius-Academy.
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BIOGRAPHY
In English
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