In my music I aim to create situations where the performer and audience can examine specific aspects of the sounding material or discover space through sound.
My working method is to study the sonic qualities of the sound source I work with and then, more importantly, find my relationship to the sounds I discover. This investigation is the core of my work and is the deciding factor on how I shape my pieces.
I often work with a limited palette of sounds, allowing them to unfold under strict rules of examination. This approach results in a musical surface that exists from moment to moment and invites the listener to dwell in the experience in their own terms. Dramatic contrasts are generally absent from my music but fluctuations and gradual processes over time bring narrative to the music.
Recently the voice has played an important role to express and contextualise sound for me. This has materialised as vocal parts in my pieces and/or with the use of voice to discover sound. I have only briefly followed this path, but I am interested to follow it further in my future works.
I mainly write music for the concert hall, but I also work with site-specific sound installations. I consider my output to be a single body of sonic ideas that can be adapted to different mediums to fit the situation where the audience can encounter and experience these ideas.
With a background as guitarist and choir singer in my native country Iceland I soon focused on composition. I pursued composition studies at the Iceland University of the Arts, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Sibelius Academy. My music has been performed by various musicians and ensembles in festivals such as Ung Nordisk Music, Musica Nova Helsinki and Estonian Music Days.
Three works
Reflect (2022)
For two voices and live-electronics
Chimney (2022)
4-channel fixed media
Formations (2021)
For ensemble
Kuva Mimmi Helkiö