Eetu Ranta-aho

I am a Finnish composer actively working in Finland and Japan. I have studied in Finland, Japan and Ghana with a briefer excursion to Malaysia. I also have several years of experience in studying and performing Javanese Gamelan.

These global experiences being an important impetus in many of my works, I aim to create music that sounds fresh yet familiar – fusing microtonality with modality and carefully crafted textures with writing that leaves room for interpretation in live performances. I use a big canvas: striving for large-scale dramaturgical arcs even in my chamber works. Also, playfulness and feeling of lightness are important aspects in my compositions.

In 2026-2028 my work is generously supported by the Kone Foundation with a two year working grant.

Future projects (highlights)

• a solo piece for Finnish cellist Senja Rummukainen. The work builds on solo gamba works by Sainte-Colombe, and is meant to be performed together with original arrangements for cello.
• a song cycle for soprano Anu Komsi and chamber orchestra. A large-scale work based on Japanese summer poems ranging from Shinkokinwakashū (13th century) to Chūya Nakahara (early 20th century) and contemporary poems by school children.
• Mystery box – a concept under development. The work is an actual physical box, the contents of which the performers do not know in advance. I will create two prototypes: solo (for guitarist Petri Kumela) and ensemble (for Saxtronauts saxophone quartet). It may include all sorts of objects and ambiguous instructions for their use, sheet music, poetry, et cetera. Electronics are also included, but in ways which the performers cannot anticipate.

Highlights of previous works

My most extensive work to date is the 90-minute Japanese-language opera Nemuru Otoko, composed to a libretto by Japanese manga artist Riyoko Ikeda. Nemuru Otoko was premiered in August 2021 as part of the Helsinki Contemporary Opera Festival. It was performed 6 times in total and received critical acclaim.

My other main work is also vocal music. The 30-minute, 9-part song cycle for soprano and orchestra ’9 Teika songs’ was premiered in Tokyo College of Music in 2017, and it has since been performed partially in Bergen, Norway, and as piano arrangement in several occasions in Finland.

My works have been performed by such ensembles and individuals as Avanti!, Uusinta Ensemble, Zagros ensemble, Kaartin Soittokunta, Ensemble Olga, Ensemble Falke, Bergen Youth Philharmonic, Tuuli Lindeberg, Piia Komsi, Petri Kumela and Nobutaka Yoshizawa.

My work has been generously supported by:
Teosto Cultural Foundation
The Finnish Cultural Foundation
Kone Foundation
The Finnish Music Foundation
The Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation
The Finnish-Japanese Society
Wegelius Foundation
Finnish Composer’s Sibelius Fund
Madetoja Fund