Finnish composer Antti Auvinen (b. 1974) is an explorer of timbre and rhythm. He has thus far composed works for a range of ensembles, solo instruments and orchestra. When
composing for acoustic instruments he has always been interested in different kinds of
instrumental timbres, as well as non-traditional combinations of instruments and playing
techniques. Auvinen has recently broadened his compositional palette towards electro-
acoustic music.
Auvinen creates and dissolves musical tensions by means of rhythmical devices. Using polyrhythmic and polypulsational effects he creates an impression of musical direction in his works. With rhythm and timbre he creates identities for musical units, which are still recognizable although every detail of them may change. Simultaneous rhythmic situations are presented as different layers in his scores and powerful, energetic tensions are typical of his compositional language. Although Auvinen's attitude towards composition is modernistic, he does not neglect emotional tensions, which play a very important part in his works.
Auvinen's compositions have been performed at several festivals in the Nordic countries and in various countries in Europe, and have also been heard in the USA, Australia and Japan. Auvinen collaborates frequently with many artists, ensembles and festivals that specialize in new music.
Antti Auvinen studied composition at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, with other musical studies at the Department of Music in the University of Jyväskylä in Finland and the Academy of Performing Arts of Prague in Czech Republic. He has participated in several master classes with such composers as Magnus Lindberg, George Crumb, Jonathan Harvey and Helmut Lachenmann, to name a few. Auvinen was a finalist of the Pablo Casals composition competition in France in 2007 and a prizewinner in the Hamburger Klangwerktage 2006 in Germany. In 2007 Auvinen received an honorable mention in Chicago, USA in the Call for Scores organized by the Millennium Chamber Players. Auvinen's orchestral work Aalto was selected for the Tactus Forum in Brussels in 2004.
© Jouko Laaksamo 2008