Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
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Very short CV .. Short CV .. Long CV
Updated 20.iv.2023
Very short CV
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Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (b. 1963) is a Finnish translator and composer. A professional freelance translator, he is also an active semi-professional musician involved mostly in choral singing. Consequently, most of his output as a choral composer consists of choral works, some 150 of which have been published to date. He describes himself as an eclectic traditionalist. He has given talks and workshops on his works at various events worldwide and occasionally has also taught a course in the history of choral music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
(c) Jaakko Mäntyjärvi 2023
Short CV
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Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (b. 1963 in Turku, Finland) studied English and Linguistics at the University of Helsinki, graduating with the equivalent of an MA degree in 1991; he is accredited as an Authorised Translator from Finnish to English and English to Finnish. He also studied theory of music and choir conducting at the Sibelius Academy.
As a composer, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi describes himself as an eclectic traditionalist: he adopts influences from a number of styles and periods, and his musical language is based on an awareness of tradition, continuity and communicativeness. Because he is himself active in making music, his music is very pragmatic; he is a choral singer, and thus most of his works are for choir. His major choral works include Four Shakespeare Songs (1984), Dagen svalnar... (Day is cooling, 1991/1993), Pseudo-Yoik (1994), El Hambo (1997), More Shakespeare Songs (1997), the choral drama SALVAT 1701 (2001), the 40-part Tentatio (2006), Stuttgarter Psalmen (2009) and the Trinity Service (2019). Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae received 3rd prize in the European composition competition for cathedral choirs in 1997. His major commissions include works for the Cork International Choral Festival (1999), the 700th anniversary of the consecration of Turku Cathedral (2000), the World Symposium on Choral Music (2008, 2017), and for Chanticleer (2001, 2018) and the King’s Singers (2002). He was composer-in-residence of the Tapiola Chamber Choir from 2000 to 2005.
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi has been active as an amateur and semi-professional musician, mainly as a choral singer with a number of Finnish choirs, including the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir, the professional Sibelius Academy Vocal Ensemble, the Tapiola Chamber Choir and the Kampin Laulu chamber choir. He conducted the Savolaisen Osakunnan Laulajat student choir from 1988 to 1993 and was deputy conductor of the Tapiola Chamber Choir from 1998 to 2004. More recently (2015), he founded Chamber Choir cc FREIA. He has also occasionally taught a course in the history of choral music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
(c) Jaakko Mäntyjärvi 2023
Long CV
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Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (b. 1963 in Turku, Finland) studied English and Linguistics at the University of Helsinki, graduating with the equivalent of an MA degree in 1991; he is accredited as an Authorised Translator from Finnish to English and English to Finnish. He also studied theory of music and choir conducting at the Sibelius Academy. Currently he is a freelance translator and composer.
As a composer, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi describes himself as an eclectic traditionalist: he adopts influences from a number of styles and periods, and his musical language is based on an awareness of tradition, continuity and communicativeness. Because he is himself active in making music, his music is very pragmatic; he is a choral singer, and thus most of his works are for choir. His major choral works include Four Shakespeare Songs (1984), Dagen svalnar... (1991/1993), Pseudo-Yoik (1994), Kouta (1996), El Hambo (1997), More Shakespeare Songs (1997), the choral drama SALVAT 1701 (2001), the 40-part motet Tentatio (2006), Stuttgarter Psalmen (2009) and the Trinity Service (2019). Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae, a memorial to the victims of the sinking of the car ferry Estonia in 1994, received 3rd prize in the European composition competition for cathedral choirs in 1997. Some 150 of his works have been published to date, and many of them are among the best-selling sheet music items of his publisher, SULASOL. His music has been performed on all inhabited continents of the world, particularly in the USA and Japan, and some have been recorded by distinguished ensembles such as the Swedish Radio Choir, the BBC Singers, Chanticleer and the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge.
Major commissions include choral works for the Cork International Choral Festival (1999), the 700th anniversary of the consecration of Turku Cathedral (2000), the World Symposium on Choral Music (Copenhagen 2008, Barcelona 2017), Chanticleer (2001, 2018), the King's Singers (2002) and the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart (2009). His discography is extensive, topped by Pseudo-Yoik with more than 30 recordings to date in various versions.
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi was composer-in-residence to the Tapiola Chamber Choir from 2000 to 2005, an appointment that began with SALVAT 1701, a 70-minute choral drama consisting of texts and hymns from the Finnish ‘Old Hymnal’ of 1701, premiered and released on CD in autumn 2001 on the occasion of the hymnal’s 300th anniversary, and ended with Introitus et Kyrie Missae Sancti Henrici, premiered in spring 2005. The Choir also released the first CD dedicated solely to his works, ECLECTICA (Warner / Finlandia Records 2002). Subsequent discs dedicated to his works have been released by Cor Cantiamo in Illinois, USA (Centaur. 2014) and the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge (Hyperion, 2020).
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi has been active as a musician in a number of contexts: as timpanist with the Helsinki University Students’ Orchestra (1981–1987); as pianist with the Students’ Salon Orchestra (1984–1990); and as a choral singer with various Finnish choirs, including the Savolaisen Osakunnan Laulajat student choir (1982–1987), the professional Sibelius Academy Vocal Ensemble (1984–1987, 1988–1991, 1986–1997, 2013–), the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir (1986–1992), the Tapiola Chamber Choir (1988–2004), the Klemetti Institute Chamber Choir (2006–2019), the Finnish Chamber Choir (2010–2023) and the Kampin Laulu Chamber Choir (2012–). He conducted the Savolaisen Osakunnan Laulajat student choir from 1988 to 1993 and was deputy conductor of the Tapiola Chamber Choir from 1998 to 2004. More recently (2015), he founded Chamber Choir cc FREIA with a group of experienced choral singers. He has also given talks and workshops on his works and on Finnish choral music in general at various events around the world and has been on the jury of several choral competitions. He has occasionally taught a course in the history of choral music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
(c) Jaakko Mäntyjärvi 2023
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