Sanna Vähälä
About the composer
Sanna Vähälä is a Finnish music student born in 1974 in Tampere, Finland. Despite her mature age, she has recently embarked on a new career path, currently studying music theory pedagogy and composition at the University of Applied Sciences in Tampere. This educational journey began in 2020, marking a significant shift in her professional life.
Prior to her current studies, Vähälä completed professional studies in classical singing at the Tampere Conservatory in 2020, where she specialized as a contralto. Her musical background includes studies under several notable vocal instructors, including Maria Rajakorpi, Ulla Raiskio, Satu Sippola, and Susanna Tenkanen-Lindeman, achieving a C1 course as her highest qualification in singing.
Vähälä’s musical experiences are diverse, encompassing participation in various choirs, including the Tampere Opera Choir, where she performed as a second alto in productions such as Kortekangas’ “Veljeni vartija” (2018) and Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” (2013). She has also been involved in leading music groups for individuals with developmental disabilities.
In her budding composition career, Vähälä has studied under composer Roope Mäenpää at the Tampere Conservatory and DMus Hannu Pohjannoro at the University of Applied Sciences in Tampere. She has also attended masterclasses with renowned composers, including Professor Reiko Füting from the Manhattan School of Music and PhD Mikel Urquiza. Her performance experience extends to opera, having covered a role in T. Turriago’s children’s opera “Prinsessa Papupata” and performed as Moominmamma in I. Kuusisto’s “Moomin Opera” at the Tampere Music Academy.
About the Stabat Mater
| Date: | 2023 |
| Performers: | Soprano, mezzo soprano, violin, flute, violoncello and organ. |
| Length: | 45.00 minutes |
| Particulars: | Vähälä's motivation to compose a Stabat Mater stemmed from her experiences as a choir member performing Pergolesi's and Poulenc's Stabat Maters. As a composition student, she chose this for her thesis project. Her main challenge was creating powerful, emotional music with a small ensemble. She aimed to use modern, non-traditional harmonies while keeping her music accessible to a wide audience. The result was a "suitcase version" Stabat Mater for soprano, mezzo-soprano, violin, flute, cello, and organ suitable for small-scale performances and tours. |
| Textual variations: | All twenty stanza's have been used with a mix of the 'Analecta-' and the 'Vatican'-version of the original text. The Amen is a separate part. |
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Information about the recording
| MP4: | Live recording Stabat Mater – Sanna Vähälä (excerpts) |
| More info: | The premiere of this composition took place on March 24, 2024, at the Messukylä Church in Tampere, marking an important achievement in her budding career as a composer. This work demonstrates Vähälä’s growing skills in composition and also reflects her engagement with traditional sacred music forms in a contemporary context. Sanna ontdekte de website en zocht contact met ons. She was kind enough to share the excerpts from the performance with us. Thank you very much! |
| Orchestra: | Lotta Rissanen - flute, Ulla Hannula - violin Kevin Zhuang, violoncello- Nella Marjanen, organ |
| Conductor: | Petrus Marjanen |
| Soloists: | Marjaana Ritanen - soprano |
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