Sebastian Korman Music

I started writing music and playing the piano when I was about 12 years old. I remember how I did put my fingers the first time on the keyboard, and right away, the profound connection made me start to write my own melodies. It must be something that comes from somewhere I just cannot explain, and luckily this has continued all through my life until today.

During my high school years I started composing, studying classical music, and exploring all kinds of contemporary composing techniques. At that time, I had the idea of having the first concert of my own compositions. For this idea to become a reality, I felt that I needed to explore new countries and cultures to be inspired for writing new music. My sister who was already staying in Italy invited me to visit there… So I found Italy in my life. This thing would affect me significantly in the future…

The first concert

I spent the first winter in Italy in 1986 and kept writing new material for my concert. After returning back in Finland I found a professional composer in my hometown to who I could show all my sketches and compositions and share ideas with him. He helped me with my first serious compositions and giving some valuable tips for the creative process. I am really grateful for all that because you can never have enough support and help especially at the beginning of your career.

My first composition concert was held in the spring of 1987 and it was organized in collaboration with my hometown’s symphony orchestra. In the concert, I was performing as a pianist and conductor. The program included my latest works for string quartet, quintetto, string orchestra. and a piece for solo piano, The style of my music at that time was still more traditional in many aspects.

As a bonus element in my concert, I was projecting art photographs on the screen behind the orchestra. Maybe that was already a hint of my hidden desire to break tight classical rules and boundaries and mix different artistic elements together to create something interesting for all our senses.

The first composition award

The upcoming piece was titled ”Tales for string quartet,” and with that work my original intention was to attend the composition competition that was held in 1988 in Finland. The jury included two famous Finnish composers, who found my idea and the whole concept of the composition really interesting. Besides that, they appreciated my innovative, versatile approach and experimental techniques of string quartet too. Almost one hundred works were attended the competition anonymously and I shared the Second Prize. According to the jury, all the awarded compositions were of high-quality works.

More studying

After that award, I kept studying music and writing new materials. I became inspired by various composers and styles but was still trying to find my own musical language. In 1990, I attended the composing course called ”Time of Music”. The teacher was famous French composer, Jean-Claude Risset, best known for his pioneering contributions to computer music. He was a fantastic, very interesting and most sympathetic person, who brought so many new aspects to the table about the creative process, and composing itself. You can learn more from him here.

More concerts, Russia and studying.

My next concert was held in Moscow in 1991. The program included my latest string quartet and also a composition for solo piano. I had a opportunity to get the pianist, Dmitri Klimov, from Moscow to perform that composition. It was my first experience with Russian musicians, and it opened me some collaboration chances with these great world-class musicians. The following year in 1992, I had a chance to perform in Russia again but this time as a pianist. I was playing my solo piano work in St. Petersburg ’92 festival.

Practising in Helsinki, 1992.

Later that same year, I had my next concert once again in St. Petersburg (the Small Hall of the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonia) with an entirely new program including e.g. my new string quartet and solo piano compositions. I was fortunate again to have Dmitri Klimov as a soloist for my solo piano composition.

The next world-class Russian musician I got to know was a multi-award winning cellist Alexej Massarskij. He performed my new solo cello composition titled ”Nostalghia” which was inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s film.

That same year, I attended the ”Time of Music” composing course again. This time the teacher was a multi-award winning and critically acclaimed composer, York Höller, from Germany. Once again, just like with Jean-Claude, from him, I learned not only a new approach for composing but also different views and things about being a composer. You can learn more from him here.

My path crossed with the cellist Alexej Massarskij again in 1994 on my next concert in Finland when he came to perform my solo cello composition ”Constellations”. I wrote that solo cello work especially for him. The idea, structure, and composition were truly inspired by one of Japan’s most interesting contemporary artists, Toshikatsu Endo‘s text.

Working with such a brilliant musician will always teach you so many valuable things about composing and making music together with live musicians.

With Alexej in Finland, 1994.

The journey continues…

During the last decades, I have kept going on my endless artist journey. I have been developing and expanding my musical language, palette, and techniques.