LEEVI RÄSÄNEN

c o m p o s e r

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As a consumer of music, Leevi Räsänen (b. 1997, Enonkoski) is equally at home in the pounding of sticky-floored nightclubs, listening to contemporary music whispers in concert halls as well as enjoying Broadway musicals and opera. The diversity of influences and starting points is dominant in his compositions. His works are created to cater to their unique contexts with ever-changing methods. Räsäsen's works encompass his values, personal experiences, as well as several phenomena and quotations from popular culture. He often builds them around internal experiences of the mind, such as memories, relationships, emotions, and experiences of time and place.

Having also studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Räsänen graduated with a master’s in composition from Sibelius Academy in 2023. He is the producer of the Helsinki-based NYKY Ensemble and has been the chairperson of UNM Finland and Korvat auki associations. Known for his initiative, Räsänen is the artistic director of the Pauhu Contemporary Music Festival he founded, which took place for the first time in Enonkoski in July 2022. Within a short time, Räsänen has become known through his works in e.g. Korea, Spain, Mexico and the United States, and he represented Finland at the Ung Nordisk Musik Festivals in Sweden 2019, Denmark 2021 and Norway 2023. Räsäsen's work has been supported by e.g. the Arts Promotion Center Finland, Paulo Foundation, Greta and William Lehtinen Foundation, and BNP Paribas.