Biography
In English
Markku Klami is a Finnish composer whose music has been described as delicate, elegant, fragile, and powerful—evoking strong emotional responses. His works have been performed across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa at festivals such as ISCM World New Music Days, International Rostrum of Composers, MISE-EN MUSIC, Nordic Music Days, Musica nova Helsinki, Turku Music Festival, Tampere Biennale, Atlantic Music Festival, Zagreb Music Biennale, and Taiwan International Guitar Festival.
Born in Turku in 1979, Klami’s musical path began in childhood through piano and violin studies and a decade-long membership in Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum, the boys’ choir of Turku Cathedral. These formative years, along with early explorations in electronic music, laid the groundwork for a diverse output that includes solo, chamber, and orchestral works—often blending acoustic instruments with electronics—as well as vocal music and two operas.
A classically trained composer, Klami studied at the Turku Music Academy and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Tuomo Teirilä and Tapio Tuomela, respectively. In recent years, he has also returned to his roots in electronic music through ambient releases alongside his concert music.
Since 2021, a selection of Klami’s works have been published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen (Wise Music Classical Group). His work has been supported by Finnish Cultural Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Sibelius Fund, Madetoja Foundation and Teosto Commission Fund.
Klami lives and thinks of music in Helsinki, drawing creative energy from both urban areas and the nature—particularly the seashores, forests, and open landscapes that offer him a vital balance in today’s fast-moving culture.
Suomeksi
Markku Klamin musiikkia on luonnehdittu herkäksi, elegantiksi, hauraaksi ja vahvoja tunne-elämyksiä herättäväksi. Hänen musiikkiaan on esitetty eri puolilla Eurooppaa, Amerikkaa, Aasiaa ja Afrikkaa festivaaleilla kuten ISCM World New Music Days, International Rostrum of Composers, MISE-EN MUSIC, Nordic Music Days, Musica nova Helsinki, Turun Musiikkijuhlat, Tampere Biennale, Atlantic Music Festival, Zagreb Music Biennale ja Taiwan International Guitar Festival.
Turussa vuonna 1979 syntyneen Klamin musiikillinen polku alkoi jo varhain pianon- ja viulunsoiton opinnoilla sekä yli kymmenvuotisella taipaleella Turun tuomiokirkon poikakuorossa Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorumissa. Näiden vuosien aikana syntynyt kiinnostus sekä akustiseen että elektroniseen musiikkiin on sittemmin johtanut monipuoliseen tuotantoon, johon kuuluu soolo-, kamari- ja orkesteriteoksia, usein akustisia soittimia ja elektroniikkaa yhdisteleviä sävellyksiä, vokaalimusiikkia sekä kaksi oopperaa.
Klami opiskeli sävellystä Turun ammattikorkeakoulun Musiikkiakatemiassa Tuomo Teirilän ja Sibelius-Akatemiassa Tapio Tuomelan johdolla. Viime vuosina hän on palannut konserttimusiikin säveltämisen ohella myös juurilleen elektronisen musiikin pariin.
Klamin teoksia on vuodesta 2021 alkaen julkaissut Edition Wilhelm Hansen (Wise Music Classical Group). Hänen työtään säveltäjänä ovat tukeneet muun muassa Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Taiteen Edistämiskeskus, Jenny ja Antti Wihurin rahasto, Sibelius-rahasto, Madetoja-säätiö sekä Teoston Sävellystilaustoimikunta.
Nykyisin Helsingissä asuva Klami inspiroituu sekä urbaaneista ympäristöistä että luonnosta – erityisesti merenrannoista, metsistä ja avarista maisemista, jotka tarjoavat hänelle tärkeän vastapainon nykypäivän keskeytyksiä ja häiriöitä täynnä olevassa arkielämässämme.
Artistic focus
Concert music
Markku Klami’s concert works span a wide range of forces—from intimate solo pieces and chamber music to orchestral works, concertos, vocal music, and even opera.
While each composition is shaped by its unique context, Klami’s artistic voice is unified by a search for calm, timelessness, and sensitivity of sound. His music often dwells in delicate textures and quiet spaces, inviting the listener into a world that is both reflective and emotionally resonant.
At times, he expands his sonic palette through the use of electronics, subtly blending acoustic and electronic elements into cohesive soundscapes.
Electronic music
In his electronic music, Markku Klami explores the ambient genre through immersive, slowly evolving soundscapes.
These works offer a space for stillness and contemplation—sonic environments that unfold gradually, inviting the listener to settle into their depths. Whether experienced on their own or in dialogue with acoustic instruments, Klami’s electronic pieces reflect his ongoing interest in nuance, atmosphere, and the quiet power of sound.
They are not so much narratives as they are places—audio landscapes in which time seems to stretch, soften, and dissolve.
Timeline
Highlights
1970s
February 21, 1979. Born in Turku, Finland.
1980s
Markku Klami’s interest in music sparked at an early age during the 1980s, a decade that marked the very beginning of his artistic path.
In the mid and late 1980s, Klami began taking private piano lessons, followed by violin studies. These early instrumental lessons provided him with his first experiences in musicianship and laid the foundation for his later explorations in composition.
1990s
2000s
During the 2000s, Klami transitioned from electronic music performance to a focused pursuit of his own compositional voice. He began his academic journey with studies in musicology at the University of Turku and later deepened his musical expertise at the Turku University of Applied Sciences, where he majored in music theory and composition with Tuomo Teirilä, and studied classical guitar with Timo Korhonen and Ismo Eskelinen. He also began teaching music theory at the Turku Conservatory of Music in 2001, marking the beginning of a long-standing parallel career in music education.
Klami’s compositional career gained momentum with the 2002 premiere of Colours in Blue by guitarist Patrik Kleemola, sparking a long and fruitful collaboration with Kleemola that resulted in multiple guitar works performed internationally, both by Kleemola and other guitarists. His orchestral debut Flow won a national composition competition in 2004, leading to several performances in Finland and Slovakia and inclusion in his thesis concert.
2010s
The 2010s marked a period of broad international recognition and artistic diversification for Klami. His music was performed across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, while his creative range expanded to include vocal works, electroacoustic pieces, and opera.
Klami began the decade with a series of high-profile premieres, including night signal for male choir, commissioned by the Polytech Choir, and FUME, a clarinet concerto premiered by Lauri Sallinen and Avanti! at the Ung Nordisk Music Festival. He completed his Master of Music in Composition at the Sibelius Academy in 2010, and shortly thereafter, his children’s opera Tulevaisuuden retki was premiered at the Turku Music Festival as part of the official European Capital of Culture 2011 program—one of several commissions tied to this significant cultural year.
2020s
Klami’s work in the 2020s has been marked by growing international recognition, high-profile festival appearances, and a steady stream of commissions and premieres. His music has reached new audiences across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, while continuing to engage Finnish listeners through performances, recordings, and broadcast media.
In July 2020, Göreme Echoes was featured on Yle Radio 1’s (Finnish Broadcasting Company) Finnish Music of Our Times series, followed in August by Klami’s New York debut at the MISE-EN_MUSIC FESTIVAL with aura, performed by Kelley Barnett and the mise-en ensemble. The following month, he premiered the sound installation verweilen in Tübingen, Germany, which was released digitally in December. November 2020 saw the premiere of the first four movements of Etudes, performed by Patrik Kleemola at the Sibelius Museum in Turku.
