Kalevi Aho

Finnish composer Kalevi Aho (b1949).
Aho is one of Finland's foremost contemporary composers. He studied the violin and composition at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, his composition teacher was Rautavaara. He continued his studies in Berlin 1971-1972 as a pupil of Boris Blacher. The central focus of Aho's work consists of large-scale orchestral, chamber and vocal works. In 1974 Aho was awarded the Leonie Sonning Pirze in Denmark, in 1990 the Henrik Steffens Prize in Lübeck, and in 2000 he was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal. He occupies a number of important positions in Finnish cultural life.