Annastiina Tahkola wins Sibelius Singing Competition 2007

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Järvenpää, the hometown of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, was the host of the 1st International Sibelius Singing Competition on October 24th to 27th.
      Mezzo-soprano Annastiina Tahkola, (born in 1972), was the surprise winner of the competition. The victory brought her a prize of EUR 10,000.
      Bass-baritone Nicholas Söderlund was second, taking a prize of EUR 5,000, while soprano Sofia Kallio took the third prize of EUR 2,500.
      The EUR 1,500 special prize of the Sibelius Estate went to soprano Sirkka Lampimäki, while the City of Järvenpää’s special prize was shared between the Swedish mezzo-soprano Susanna Sundberg and baritone Jussi Ziegler. They received EUR 750 each.
     
The aim of the contest was reportedly to find personable young singers and to discover new song compositions, while also drawing attention to the number of songs Sibelius composed.
      This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Jean Sibelius’s death, and also the 90th anniversary of the independence of Finland.


Links:
  International Sibelius Singing Competition 2007
  Jean Sibelius: Songs
  Jean Sibelius (Wikipedia)

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