From Young Music to Summer Academy

 

In the summer of 1997, Nurmesi's music scene, rich in tradition, made a new territorial conquest. Cellist Seppo Kimanen, the creator of Kuhmo Chamber Music, had given a concert with his Jean Sibelius Quartet at the Evangelical College in Nurme the previous summer. Together with Kristiina Vuorela, the college's course secretary and a great lover of chamber music, Kimanen came up with the idea of a chamber music camp for children and young people. It would be organized as a folk school course every year at Nurme's evangelical college. The time would always be a week before Kuhmo's Chamber Music. The course would have the opportunity to have several artists as teachers from there. 

 

The "Nurmense Young Music" event immediately became a tradition that continued at the college from summer to summer. Kristiina Vuorela handled the duties of executive director. He managed to get important grants for the event, e.g. From Jenny and Antti Wihuri's fund, the Finnish Cultural Fund and its North Karelia fund, the North Karelia County Art Committee and the State Composition and Art Committee. The city of Nurme, parishes and local businesses and associations started to support the activity.Kristiina also managed to recruit a large number of talkers needed for the course.

 

The program arrangements of the course remained the same for a long time: each course participant received a lesson's worth of private instruction every day; in addition to teaching, the days were filled with rehearsals, also in the camp orchestra; an important part of the teaching has always been the concerts given by the teachers. The initially week-long camp was extended to ten days. In addition to the Evangelical College, concerts were held over the years, e.g. In the churches of Nurmes, Lieksa and Valtimo, Nurmes-talo, Kyrölä nursing home, Puukarin Pysäki and Männikkölä pirt. In 1998 and 1999, course participants had the opportunity to audition for a scholarship to the Purcell School in London. One student received a scholarship from the latter course. 

 

Due to moisture problems in the college's premises, the course location was changed in 2007 to the Hyvärilä Youth and Tourism Center, also in a beautiful landscape on the shore of Pielinen. Kristiina Vuorela continued as CEO. Friends of Nurmense Evangelical College Association. produced the event until 2009. Then it became clear that the association would no longer be able to continue with the task due to financial reasons. 

 

The year 2010 was a year of fate: would the music camp continue or would it be allowed to end with the closure of the college?

At this critical stage, vicar Raimo Kemppainen, chairman of the Friends of Nurmense Evangelical College Association - already seriously ill - turned to skipper Matti Turunen: "Please make sure that Nurmense Young Music continues."

Matti Turunen, who at that time led the famous Nurmesen Music Association, turned to this association in the matter. In 2011, the responsibility for implementing the music course was transferred to its shoulders. 

 

Matti Turunen's discovery as executive director during the difficult transition period was Heikki Masalin, born in Nurmek, master of economics who had an international career. When the Music Society wanted to free itself from the responsibility of organizing, it was decided to establish its own background organization for the event, Nurmesen Kesäakatemian Kannatusyhdistys ry. Its rules were registered in 2015. Heikki Masalin continued as CEO, who handled a very challenging task for a total of ten years.Master of music Jaana Luuppala was invited to succeed Masalini in 2020.

After Jaana had to leave the job suddenly, Ritva Koistinen and Taina Viinisalo have creditably piloted the operation.

 

Moving into the 2010s, the youth music camp gradually transformed into a music academy: the course participants were no longer just beginners, but even more advanced and many aspiring musicians. The level of teaching increased and top domestic and international musicians have been selected as artists. Nurmsen Nuori Musiikki became the Nurmsen Summer Academy, whose participants can use the course's studies as part of their Sibelius Academy studies if they wish.Today, the summer academy lasts eight days. Students each get 5 lessons of their personal instrument and can also choose lessons from a versatile workshop tray.

 

Over the years, a high-level music festival, Nurmesen Kesämusiikki, has been built alongside the Summer Academy, which attracts an increasing number of listeners every year. Following and listening to summer music, as well as the student concerts integrated into the festival program, are still an important part of the education of the Summer Academy students. One of the highlights of the Summer Academy was in the summer of 2015, when Kaija Saariaho taught composition in the course.

Many have made it a habit to come to the Nurmense event first and then move on to Kuhmo's Chamber Music offering. 

 

Over the years, the listeners' experiences are summed up in the words of the late Kristiina Vuorela: "We get to hear memorable concerts, follow the progress of young musicians and spend happy days with different people who are united by the love of music."

 

 

Artistic directors:

Elina Sofia Kimanen 1997 

Helen Lindén-Pons 1998–2003 

Folke Gräsbeck 2004 

interim year 2005 

Roi Ruottinen 2006 

Asko Heiskanen 2007–2009 

interim year 2010 

Reka Szilvay 2011 

Tuija Hakkila 2012–2015, 2017, 2019, 2022

Anna Laakso 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023

 

Producers:

Nurmense Evangelical College ja 

Friends of Nurmense Evangelical College Association 1997–2009 

Nurmense Music Association 2011–2014 

Support Association of Nurmense Summer Academy 2015–

 

CEOs:

Kristiina Vuorela 1997–2009 

Heikki Masalin 2011–2020 

Jaana Luuppala 2020–2021 

Ritva Koistinen (as producer) 2021

Taina Viinisalo 2021->