Haute couture, a new duo project and fresh artist pictures

Spring is finally in Stockholm! During the dark winter months I’ve kept myself busy with my piano students, concerts and clothing projects.

I also did an interview at Sven Harry’s Art Museum with the supertalented journalist Jasmin Lindberg for Sveriges Radio. One and a half years ago I hosted four culture discussion programs for the same channel (SisuRadio) so talking on the radio felt like home. We were at a press viewing of the exhibition ”Secrets of Haute Couture”. Nothing inspires my own designs quite like being surrounded by beautiful works of art that also celebrate the technique and handcraft aspects of sewing and tailoring! Our interview is a part of the program ”Popula” and you can listen to it here. We talk about the exhibition, mainly in Finnish and partially in Swedish, and share our views on haute couture. I tell about my most challenging nightmare project, a dress with a simplistic design that I thought was going to be a breeze to make but was quite the opposite…

In the music circles things move at a quick pace now. I’ve started a duo with a long time chamber music partner, the amazing cellist Vincent Wistrand. Up until now we’ve only played together in bigger ensembles, so it’s both refreshingly new and at the same time reliable to play as a duo. We test-drove our program in Göteborg in February and more concerts are on the way, including the Finnish Church in Stockholm’s old town on the 24th of June.

Sadly, the musical that I was to do in collaboration with DramaKvarnen has been indefinitely postponed due to lack of resources. This is something culture workers often encounter, so as much of a disappointment it is, I’m hoping the musical will get funding in the near future. In the meantime I’ll keep my eyes open for similar projects, Stockholm is full of small independent theaters that produce high quality plays and musicals, it’s a world I’d like to explore and participate in in the future.

In the past I’ve often sent old concert snap shots to new collaborators when they ask if I have any artist pictures. I’m happy to finally have a better option for that! Thanks to my connections in the string quartet Rosa Kvartetten, I met the amazing harpist/photographer Justyna Krzyżanowska who took a few hundred pictures of me for personal and promotional use. Out of those, I’ve now uploaded a few to a new gallery section of my website.

I wanted the artist photos to reflect my personality so I chose a gorgeous industrial style café in Vasastan as the background. Instead of the shiny black Steinways we’re used to seeing in many pianists’ press photos, I relied on my Korg Tiny Piano as a prop. Of course, the shirt I’m wearing is designed and made by me. The materials are an old black college sweater and an oversized white shirt and the swan design is my take on Björk’s controversial dress worn at the Academy Awards in 2001. She ended up on the worst dressed- list, but I loved the look back then and apparently still do.

-Silja