THE BEGINNING

The idea for Creative Dialogue was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2007 when Anssi Karttunen and Magnus Lindberg were performing at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. They stayed at the Acequia Madre House and rehearsed a new commissioned piece by Magnus in their usual manner: Magnus had finished the first version before arriving in Santa Fe but revised and composed continuously. The two tried out and rehearsed all the new bits and eventually the piece was finished in time for the concert. Before leaving Santa Fe, Paul Halme, the director of foundation which looks after the Acequia Madre House asked if they would like to propose an educational project in collaboration with the Sibelius Academy. Anssi and Magnus immediately said yes without even knowing yet what they would propose.

When they returned to Europe they started planning with Kaija what the project could be. The most obvious idea seemed to be to share with young composers and performers simple the way they had been working together for several decades. Exchanging ideas, speaking openly, looking together for best solutions. In fact what Magnus and Anssi had just done in Santa Fe.

The first Creative Dialogue took place in 2007  in Santa Fe with Kaija Saariaho and Anssi working with 4 composers and 6 string players. They were quite surprised how unusual their way of collaborating was among the young musicians and how necessary it was to share the experience. While there were no plans originally to make Creative Dialogue more than once it became clear that it needed to develop and go on. Kaija and Magnus started alternating as composers while Anssi took care of coordinating and was on the faculty every year. Few years later a guest instrument was added to the strings and improvisation took more and more important role in the program.

In 2015 Creative Dialogue took place for the first time in Finland and since then it continued in alternate years in Santa Fe and Finland. Magnus and Anssi in Santa Fe with a guest and Kaija, Anssi and guest in Finland.

In 2021 a new chapter was added when Creative Dialogue France was added independently of Sibelius Academy with the support of the Maire and Carl Gustaf Ehrnrooth Foundation. And in 2022 on one hand Santa Fe had to be abandoned and it became clear that Kaija could no longer continue due to her illness. Julian Anderson took over from her the second composer-in-residence role. 

Yet another chapter started in 2024 when the Sibelius Academy had to abandon their role in organising the workshop. Maire and Carl Gustaf Ehrnrooth invited Creative Dialogue also to their own home in Wanantaka Manor. Today Creative Dialogue has two homes: Wanantaka Manor and Château de Beauchêne. 

THE HISTORY

Creative Dialogue XIV in Kallio Kuninkala, Järvenpää, Finland 29.6. - 9.7. 4 composers, 4 Kantele players and 6 string players from around the world will come together with the British composer Julian Anderson, Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen and Finnish Kantele player Eija Kankaanranta. Composers wrote pieces for strings and kantele, kokle and kankles, instrumentalists played repertoire pieces by Julian Anderson and Kaija Saariaho. An extraodinary improvisation group of all the participants performed. For the first time all the Baltic countries were represented in instruments and musicians. All the pieces worked during the workshop were at the final concert at the Musiikkitalo, Helsinki on the 8th of July. The workshop and concert were dedicated to Kaija Saariaho.

Creative Dialogue XIII took place 5-14 July 2022 at Acequia Madre House, Santa Fe, NM. 4 composers, 4 pianists and 5 string players worked together with Magnus Lindberg, Anssi Karttunen and Joonas Ahonen. Composers wrote piano trios which were finished and rehearsed during the workshop, instrumentalists played pieces for piano and strings by Magnus Lindberg. Improvisation and visits to the numerous cultural landmarks were as usual an important part of the workshop. The final concert took place on the 14th of July at the St. Francis Auditorium, Santa Fe.

Creative Dialogue XII Online The workshop couldn't take place in Santa Fe as announced because of the Coronavirus restrictions. Instead, we took the opportunity to organize an online workshop where, apart from this year's participants we invited all those who had been to the Creative Dialogue in the past. Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg and Anssi Karttunen worked on new pieces and shared experiences. 

Creative Dialogue XI again took place at Kallio-Kuninkala in Finland. 4 composers, 4 singers and 6 string players worked together with Kaija Saariaho, Anssi Karttunen and Daniel Belcher. The composers wrote pieces for voice and strings and the performers played pieces for voices and strings by Kaija Saariaho. As usual, an improvisation workshop and performance was also an important part of the workshop as was the visit to the cultural landmarks aroung Kallio-Kuninkala. The final concert took place in the Camerata Hall at the Music Centre, Helsinki on the 25th of August.

Creative Dialogue X took place July 17-26 2018 in Santa Fe, NM. The faculty was Anssi Karttunen, cello, Magnus Lindberg, composition and David Poissonnier, sound design. The focus of the workshop was on compositions for strings and live electronics. The final concert of this 10th anniversary Creative Dialogue was part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and took place at the St. Francis Auditorium

Creative Dialogue IX took place in Kallio-Kuninkala, Finland from 28th of August to 5th of September 2017. This time the faculty was Kaija Saariaho, Anssi Karttunen and the French sound engineer David Poissonnier. The focus of this years workshop was music for string instruments and electronics. The 5 participating composers wrote pieces for various string ensembles and electronics for the 3 violinists, 2 viola players and 3 cellists attending. The String players each prepared a work by Kaija Saariaho with electronics. The final concert took place at the Black Box of the Music Centre in Helsinki on the 5th of September.

Creative Dialogue VIII took place 19th-28th June 2016 in Santa Fe, NM. Magnus Lindberg and Anssi Karttunen were joined on the faculty by the Led Zeppelin legend, multi-instrumentalist and composer John Paul Jones. The final concert was held at the St. Francis Auditorium, Santa Fe on the 28th of June. The composer participants wrote pieces for different combinations of low string instruments (3 cellos, 2 double bass and 2 electric bass). The cellists and double bass players shared Magnus's Partia for solo cello, The double bass players transcribed together with Magnus Coranto and Boria. Magnus's Etude I was also be played in a new version by Anssi Karttunen for 5 cellos and 2 double basses. Listen to the concert Improvisation workshops were also an important part of Creative Dialogue this time, instrumentalists and composers improvised together during the week and in the concert.

Creative Dialogue VII was held January 31st to February 7th, 2015 in Kallio-Kuninkala, Tuusula, Finland. Kaija Saariaho was again on the faculty together with Anssi Karttunen and the Finnish pianist Tuija Hakkila. The participants were invited from many of the top European and US conservatories. The young composers wrote pieces for piano and strings. The final concert was at the Music Centre in Helsinki on the 7th of February as part of the festival Musica nova Helsinki and included the student compositions as well as some of Kaija Saariaho's most recent works for strings and piano.  

Creative Dialogue VI in 2014 was led by Magnus Lindberg and Anssi Karttunen with the Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan. The workshop took place 3rd-11th July, with a concert at the St. Francis Auditorium on July 11th. The participating composers wrote pieces for voices and string instruments and the performers worked on Magnus Lindberg's pieces and pieces for voice and strings by Kaija Saariaho, Peter Lieberson and Harrison Birtwistle.

Creative Dialogue V took place 17-24th July 2012, it was led jointly by Anssi Karttunen, Magnus Lindberg and the Israeli clarinetist Chen Halevi. The instrumentalists played solo and chamber pieces by Magnus Lindberg (with the composer on the piano) and the composers were invited to write pieces for cellos and clarinets, which were all prepared for a concert at the St. Francis Auditorium, this time once again part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Creative Dialogue IV was a workshop for cellists. This time Anssi Karttunen worked with six cellists on a special project, the Mystery Variations, a series of pieces by 31 composer-friends of Karttunen, written for his 50th birthday. Each participant played 3-6 of the pieces among which were 21 US premieres. The very well attended and enthusiastically received concert took place again at the St. Francis Auditorium.

In the 2010 Creative Dialogue III, Anssi Karttunen and the Finnish Guitarist Timo Korhonen led a group of 5 cellists and 3 guitar players in a workshop of new solo and chamber pieces and improvisation. The repertoire was centered on composers Karttunen and Korhonen have personally worked with, one of the highlights of the final concert was a group improvisation of all the students.

Creative Dialogue II, in 2009, was led by Anssi Karttunen and the participants were 7 cellists who worked on a repertoire of new solo cello pieces and pieces for cello ensembles. Parts of the repertoire were worked with composers, the late Peter Lieberson was present; Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg and Pablo Ortiz worked with the players via the internet.

Creative Dialogue I in 2008 was a workshop for composers and string players. The Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and cellist Anssi Karttunen led the workshop. The string players - 2 violinists, 2 violists and 3 cellists - also worked on solo pieces by Kaija Saariaho. The composers wrote pieces specially for the ensembles of string players available, pieces were rehearsed and revised every afternoon and performed in the final concert, which was organised in collaboration with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.