Animagios
Animagios is a Finnish multimedia art concept set in a magical world called Animagios, created by Santte Salonen, Joni Stein and Erika Hammarberg.
In Animagios, everyone has their own soul-character, which is molded by one’s temperament, personality and identity. It evolves through one’s experiences and self-reflection. The mind, and our shared struggle for its well-being, is the central thread of the expansive Animagios project.
Ystäväni Tsizik (2024)
Photo by Jani Snellman
Music from Animagios (2020)
Animagios has gotten grants from the Kone Foundation, the Helsinki Music Centre Foundation, the association Föreningen Konstsamfundet and the Arts Promotion Center Finland (Corona Support).
Ritva Nero
Santte Salonen (Soprano Saxophone), Patrik Fält (Drums), Laura Maria Rinta (Vocals), Erika Hammarberg (Vocals, Hurdy-Gurdy), Jani Snellman (Electric Bass), Janne Ojajärvi (Harmonica, Overtone Flutes) & Emilia Lajunen (Nyckelharpa). Photo by Niko Sihvonen.
Ritva Nero is a Finnish band founded in Helsinki in 2017 that performs high-energy Party Metal Folk. Their sound blends 19th-century folk traditions with the distorted bass and heavy drums of metal music. Currently working with their historical and folklore-themed “Haudasta kaivettu / Exhumed” repertoire—fronted by the explosive vocal duo Laura Maria Rinta and Erika Hammarberg—the band is known for live shows that feature everything from mosh pits to mazurka.
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Salonen & Stein
Santte Salonen (Soprano Saxophone) & Joni Stein (Piano). Photo by Mikko Malmivaara.
The composer duo Salonen & Stein writes music that takes the listener on tonal excursions, where different dances, styles, and topics from the 18th century to the present are spinned together into a multifaceted program. Their sources of inspiration range from Nordic folk dances and tango music to musicals and Japanese anime. With their duo line-up, they present a colorful selection of works arranged for soprano saxophone and piano.
Salonen & Stein has gotten grants from the Finnish Music Foundation (MES) and Georg Malmstén -säätiö.
Verna Kylmänen (Accordion) & Santte Salonen (Soprano Saxophone). Photo by Carolina Stenbäck.
Sysmä-projekti is a music project and concert programme that focuses on the folk music tradition collected from Sysmä and the surrounding areas. Verna Kylmänen (accordion) and Santte Salonen (soprano saxophone) create and perform repertoire based on archive material and tell stories about fiddlers and other traditional folk musicians (pelimanni) who played in the area.
Read Salonen’s blog text about the project published by the Kalevala Society Foundation: Sysmä-projektissa mikrohistorialliset johtolangat luovuuden lähteenä
Sysmä-projekti has gotten grants from the Häme Regional Fund of The Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Kalevala Society Foundation.
Barlast
”Proportionality in harmony and disharmony, density and scarcity, loudness and silence is the key to the alchemy of Barlast’s sound.”
– Balazs Weyer / Finnish Music Quarterly
Minna Koskenlahti (Percussion & Flutes), Philip Holm (Double Bass), Heikki Hänninen (Guitars) & Santte Salonen (Woodwinds). Photo by Ruusa Johansson.
Barlast is a playful laboratory of musical communication and expression. The Finnish ensemble’s music is a blend of Nordic folk music, contemporary music, jazz and art rock. Barlast’s music has been described as a spectral wonder – a fusion that might sound difficult on paper but in fact is easy and captivating to listen to.
Since its foundation in 2016, Barlast has released four albums and performed in clubs, festivals and showcase festivals around Europe and Japan. Currently the group is working on training AI algorithms to imitate traditional Finnish-Swedish singing and herding calls. The automatically generated vocals are incorporated in their new music.
Barlast has gotten grants from the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation, the Finnish Music Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Tre Smeder foundation.