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Soiva Camp 2024 Leaders

Coordinator

Soiva 2024 is directed by Maria Männistö, a professional musician who lives in the Seattle area. A former Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year, the Finnish-American soprano has “one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices I have heard in years.” (Seattle Times)

Maria divides her time between the performance stage, her voice and piano studio, her recording studio, and the Finnish Lutheran Church where she serves as music director. Maria co-directs the Finnish Expatriate Choir, recipient of the 2023 Finnish Expatriate of the Year award. She performs regularly with the Motown-inspired vocal trio The Jewel Tones and the Baltic vocal group The Mägi Ensemble. She is thrilled to be directing the 2024 Soiva Music Camp.

E-mail Maria Männistö at:
soiva@finlandiafoundation.org

Instructors

Currently a student at the Global Music Department of Sibelius Academy, Artur Uronen is constantly crafting and refining his approach to modern music production and pedal steel guitar through a contemporary, worldwide lens.

Globally respected as an innovator in both pedal steel and music production, Artur has lived and worked in New York City and Los Angeles. He has collaborated with such musical figures as Bill Laswell, James Chance, Keith Shocklee (Public Enemy) and Son Of Bazerk.

Equally at home on the stage as well as in the studio, Artur’s international high-profile concert and festival performances include Summerstage in New York City’s Central Park, Modern Funk Fest in Los Angeles and Flow Festival in Finland.

Some of his current projects include upcoming solo work, as well as various artist and sync projects in Japan, South Korea and China.

Kata Vuoristo is a Finnish singer, music pedagogue and composer. Her main interests lie in co-creating, improvisation, transcultural and intercultural music making, global pedagogy and world music genres, such as Brazilian and Portuguese musical traditions.

Kata has worked as a vocal coach for over a decade, for the past seven years giving lessons in a music school in Helsinki. Lately she has been driven by community engagement projects and collective singing practices, such as circle music singing, experiencing music through voice, body, movement and improvisation. Kata has taught workshops in Natal, Brazil, La Lígua, Chile, Duluth, Minnesota and Finland. She has performed around Finland and in Portugal, Brazil, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden in events, clubs and festivals, and works with bands like Colectivo Azul, JOKA ensemble and Kata e Mais.

She is finalizing her master’s studies in the Global Music Department at Sibelius Academy at University of the Arts in Helsinki.