Villa Hakasalmi
Mioko Yokoyama: Mineralization – album release concert
“The role of the composer is to act as a filter between reality and the listener, transforming real life into something different from what the listener is accustomed to,” summarizes composer Mioko Yokoyama. Uusinta Ensemble is proud to put forth a selection of these transformations with the group’s latest album, to be released in August 2026.
In this album release concert we will hear three of the four works from the CD. the captivating, award-winning Mineralization (2023), the solo work for prepared piano entitled Game of Metal (2017), and There are always flowers (2021), an ensemble piece about hope written during the pandemic. In between the music Uusinta Ensemble’s artistic director Jarkko Hartikainen will discuss with the composer on the works and Mioko’s intriguing techniques, and dwell deeper on art, inspiration and the meaning of music.
We warmly welcome you to join us in celebrating the new album and Mioko’s work!
Programme
Mioko Yokoyama: Mineralization
Malla Vivolin, flute
Helmi Malmgren, bass clarinet
Maria Puusaari, violin
Pinja Nuñez, cello
Mioko Yokoyama: Game of Metal
Emil Holmström, piano
Mioko Yokoyama: There are always flowers
Anna-Sofia Anttonen, saxophone
Maria Puusaari, violin
Max Savikangas, viola
Pinja Nuñez, cello
Emil Holmström, piano
The duration of the concert is approx. 1 h. Conversation will be held bilingually in Finnish and English.
Tickets 20 / 18 / 15 € + delivery fees (starting from 1,50 € + 0,65 % when ordering in www.lippu.fi (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)) & from the door an hour before the concert, if still available.
Villa Hakasalmi is barrier-free. Visitors can move around the museum in a wheelchair. An accessible restroom is available, as well as lifts inside and outside the building. Museum staff operate the lift upon request. Wheelchairs are available for loan from the museum.
Mioko Yokoyama (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) (1989-) is a Japanese-Finnish composer based in Helsinki. Her music is built on clear rhythms and a refined control of timbres, which together create imaginative atmospheres, events, and situations. The sense of fun and playfulness is a central element of her music, because she believes that contemporary music is not difficult, but rather free.
After studying at Tokyo University of the Arts, she obtained her second Master’s degree in composition at Sibelius Academy with top grades, under the guidance of Veli-Matti Puumala.
Mioko Yokoyama’s music has been commissioned by ensembles, musicians, and festivals such as Time of Music, Musica nova Helsinki, Avanti! Summer Sounds, Tampere Biennale (FI), Gaudeamus Muziekweek (NL), Warsaw Autumn (PL), IMPULS Festival für neue Musik Sachsen-Anhalt (DE), Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (JP), and The Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ (NL).
Her piece ‘Mineralization’ won the Teosto Prize 2025 and ‘Talking Metals, Talking Drums’ was selected to the recommendation list of the 69th International Rostrum of Composers in 2023. Currently, she teaches at Sibelius Academy.
All Performances
We have been performing since 1998. Over the years, we’ve played over 200 concerts — you can find the full list here (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.).