Uusinta Ensemble Bio
The Grammy- and Emma Award–winning Uusinta Ensemble is a contemporary music group founded in Helsinki in 1998, focusing on showcasing the diversity of music of our time. True to its name (uusinta (fin) = “renewal”), the ensemble is interested in the newest music, new performances, and renewing our musical culture. In its more than 200 concerts so far, the ensemble has given around 250 world premieres, in addition to being responsible for over 110 Finnish premieres.
In addition to the most important festivals in its home city and country, Uusinta Ensemble has performed at major contemporary music festivals and concert series in Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the United States, Russia, and Estonia.
Uusinta Ensemble has been labelled “dedicated and splendid” (American Record Guide), “accomplished and imaginative” (The New York Times), and “musical, precise, and undeniably compelling” (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik). The ensemble has also collaborated on projects with other international top ensembles, including Ensemble MusikFabrik, Ensemble Aleph, defunensemble, Ensemble Adapter, Ensemble Espai Sonor, and the Helsinki Chamber Choir.
Furthermore, Uusinta Ensemble is an active recorder of contemporary music, with six of its own albums and numerous collaborative recordings. Reconnaissance (BIS Records, 2023), recorded together with the Helsinki Chamber Choir and composer Kaija Saariaho, received Grammy, Emma, and ICMA awards as well as the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik and Gramophone Editor’s Choice recognitions. The ensemble’s most recent own albums are confluence / divergence (Kairos, 2020), featuring compositions by Sebastian Hilli, and Mineralization (Kairos, 2026), consisting of works by Mioko Yokoyama, mostly written especially for Uusinta Ensemble. The ensemble has also recorded music by Beat Furrer (Toccata Classics, 2016), Osmo Tapio Räihälä (Kairos, 2024), Veli Kujala (Alba, 2016), Outi Tarkiainen (Alba, 2017), and Max Savikangas (Fuga, 2007). In addition, the Finnish national broadcaster YLE Radio 1 regularly records and broadcasts the ensemble’s concerts.
Since January 2023, composer Jarkko Hartikainen (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) has served as the artistic director of Uusinta Ensemble.