Death of the composer Kaija Saariaho
Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho has died of cancer at the age of 70.
Kaija Saariaho studied composition in Helsinki, Freiburg (with Klaus Huber) and Paris, where she has lived since 1982 and conducted research at IRCAM. She has written operas and vocal works such as "Château de l'âme" (1996), "Oltra mar" (1999) and the oratorio "La Passion de Simone", which depicts the life and death of the philosopher Simone Weil.
Saariaho was the recipient of the Grawemeyer Award, the Polar Music Prize and the BBVA Foundation's Frontiers of Knowledge Award, among others, making her one of the most highly endowed composers of her time. In 2012, Saariaho was elected an honorary member of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM).
In 2022, Saariaho's work "Vista" was performed at the Lucerne Festival by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Susanna Mälkki.
