Kaija Saariaho, pioneering composer hailed as one of the 21st century’s greats, dies at 70

The Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition notes with sadness the death of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, 70.  She won the Award in 2003 for her opera, “L`amour de loin,” (Love From Afar).  (http://grawemeyer.org/2003-kaija-saariaho/). The opera continues to be performed all over the world and was featured in the Metropolitan Opera Live HD Broadcast series in 2016.

She was also the principal guest composer for the UofL New Music Festival in 2015, along with her husband, composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière.

A groundbreaking composer, she composed for virtually every classical genre, from grand opera to intimate pieces for a single performer, creating music of enormous ingenuity and a huge emotional range.  She was a pioneer in combining acoustic music with electronic/computer music, as well.

There are obituaries and tributes to her in many major outlets.  A few are linked below.

Obituary:

An appreciation by Finnish conductor and Saariaho’s friend Susanna Mälkki:

Statement from her family:https://www.facebook.com/100057781852787/posts/a-statement-from-the-family-of-kaija-saariaho/687821986487190/