Folk music improvisation laboratory
The Syvälle collective invites those interested in improvisation, folk music, and artistic research to a two-day musical event featuring music and discussions on the experience of long-form, minimalistic folk music improvisation as a performer and listener. The event is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki’s sixth Research Pavilion.
Solo and collective improvisation
The members of the Into the deep collective will improvise solo and together during the event. On both days, the music will be followed by a panel discussion with our guests, where we will discuss the ideas inspired by improvisation and the experience of making improvised music. Audience members are also welcome to join the discussion if they wish.
The main language of the discussion is Finnish.
The music and discussions will be recorded for research purposes. The material will be processed in accordance with the ethical guidelines for research (TENK), in accordance with good scientific practice.
Programme
Friday, November 21, 2025, 5–7 p.m.
Guests include doctoral researchers whose research focuses on improvisation.
Saturday, November 22, 2025, 1–4 p.m.
Guest: Heikki Laitinen, Professor Emeritus of Folk Music.
Arrival and accessibility at Suomenlinna
Detailed instructions on how to arrive to Suomenlinna can be found on Suomenlinna website.
The Pirunkirkko banquet hall is located on Iso Mustasaari Island in Suomenlinna. The distance from the ferry terminal (Helsinki Region Transport HSL) to the venue is approximately 300 meters. As the route is paved with cobblestones, it is advisable to wear good shoes and warm outdoor clothing when walking in November. The route may have steep and challenging sections: check the accessibility and route map via the link. Suomenlinna is a car-free area.
The venue is accessed via a tunnel that runs through the building, leading visitors up a spiral staircase to the upper floor. There is also easier access to the venue via the rear door of the hall. If you wish to use the back door, please contact Kristiina Ilmonen in advance at +358 50 526 2020.
Into the deep – artistic research project
The project focuses on the long-lasting, varied playing and improvisation of the older Finnish folk music tradition and examines the essence of music beyond a work-centered approach. In our research, we ask whether music can manifest itself in ways other than as compositions or works. What can be found in the musical creative process if it is not forced into typical forms of publication – how does lingering in incompleteness affect the material being played? How does archaic music allow for experimental expression, and what kind of phenomena does a memory-based and long-lasting, micro-varying music making praxis generate in a musician-composer who embraces this aesthetic?
Read more about our research project.
Into the deep collective
- Prof. Kristiina Ilmonen (PI of the research project), folk flutes, vocals, percussion
- Dr. Pauliina Syrjälä, kantele
- Dr. Timo Väänänen, kantele
- MMus Hanna Ryynänen, kantele
- Dr. Anna-Kaisa Liedes, vocals
More information about the event
-
Kristiina Ilmonen
- Professor, Folk music, Sibelius Academy
- +358505262020
- kristiina.ilmonen@uniarts.fi
Solo and collective improvisation
The members of the Into the deep collective will improvise solo and together during the event. On both days, the music will be followed by a panel discussion with our guests, where we will discuss the ideas inspired by improvisation and the experience of making improvised music. Audience members are also welcome to join the discussion if they wish.
The main language of the discussion is Finnish.
The music and discussions will be recorded for research purposes. The material will be processed in accordance with the ethical guidelines for research (TENK), in accordance with good scientific practice.
Programme
Friday, November 21, 2025, 5–7 p.m.
Guests include doctoral researchers whose research focuses on improvisation.
Saturday, November 22, 2025, 1–4 p.m.
Guest: Heikki Laitinen, Professor Emeritus of Folk Music.
Arrival and accessibility at Suomenlinna
Detailed instructions on how to arrive to Suomenlinna can be found on Suomenlinna website.
The Pirunkirkko banquet hall is located on Iso Mustasaari Island in Suomenlinna. The distance from the ferry terminal (Helsinki Region Transport HSL) to the venue is approximately 300 meters. As the route is paved with cobblestones, it is advisable to wear good shoes and warm outdoor clothing when walking in November. The route may have steep and challenging sections: check the accessibility and route map via the link. Suomenlinna is a car-free area.
The venue is accessed via a tunnel that runs through the building, leading visitors up a spiral staircase to the upper floor. There is also easier access to the venue via the rear door of the hall. If you wish to use the back door, please contact Kristiina Ilmonen in advance at +358 50 526 2020.
Into the deep – artistic research project
The project focuses on the long-lasting, varied playing and improvisation of the older Finnish folk music tradition and examines the essence of music beyond a work-centered approach. In our research, we ask whether music can manifest itself in ways other than as compositions or works. What can be found in the musical creative process if it is not forced into typical forms of publication – how does lingering in incompleteness affect the material being played? How does archaic music allow for experimental expression, and what kind of phenomena does a memory-based and long-lasting, micro-varying music making praxis generate in a musician-composer who embraces this aesthetic?
Read more about our research project.
Into the deep collective
- Prof. Kristiina Ilmonen (PI of the research project), folk flutes, vocals, percussion
- Dr. Pauliina Syrjälä, kantele
- Dr. Timo Väänänen, kantele
- MMus Hanna Ryynänen, kantele
- Dr. Anna-Kaisa Liedes, vocals
More information about the event
-
Kristiina Ilmonen
- Professor, Folk music, Sibelius Academy
- +358505262020
- kristiina.ilmonen@uniarts.fi