Composer Mioko Yokoyama’s work Mineralization has been nominated for the 2025 Teosto Prize. The piece, commissioned by Uusinta Ensemble and premiered in February 2024, was performed by the ensemble’s musicians Malla Vivolin (flute), Helmi Malmgren (clarinet), Maria Puusaari (violin), and Pinja Nuñez (cello) at the Uusinta 25: Jubilee concert. The Teosto Prize is one of the most noteworthy art prizes in the Nordic countries, and the nominees for the 2025 Teosto Prize were selected from Finnish works of music that were published or premiered last year.
The Teosto Prize preliminary selection panel justified the nomination of Mineralization as follows:
“Composed for Mioko Yokoyama’s inventive ensemble, Mineralization masterfully shows what the instruments are capable of. Different playing techniques as well as the musicians’ own sound are used. The work evolves into a weave of sound that entices the listener on a journey into the world of senses and timbres. It boldly creates a new language of sounds without pretending to be hard to get. The associations that the work evokes range from the sparkling surfaces of stones to train travel and cartoons. Mineralization also succeeds in something that is a fairly rare virtue for contemporary music: humour.”
The title Mineralization refers to natural transformation processes in which elements and minerals accumulate and reorganize into new structures. This idea is also reflected in the composition’s structure. Listen to Mineralization’s world premiere in youtube here (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.).
Mioko Yokoyama and Uusinta Ensemble have collaborated for many years. Uusinta previously premiered Yokoyama’s There Are Always Flowers (2020–21) and performed her solo cello work Circular Spell in 2018. The now-nominated piece was commissioned as part of a profile album showcasing Yokoyama’s chamber music, which will be released later in 2025.
The purpose of the Prize is to recognise bold, original and innovative Finnish works of music. More information about the Teosto Prize nominees here (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.). Visit Mioko Yokoyama’s website here (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.).
Photo of Mioko by Maarit Kytöharju.