Pia Freund, Anna Laakso, Chrys Salt
Biography Pia Freund, Anna Laakso, Chrys Salt
Pia Freund
is an international artist known for her indulgent spirit as a musician and her ever-renewing ways of communication across all various fields of art.
”To me, curiosity is a life-sustaining force”. This curiosity has led her to active cooperation with contemporary composers (Kaija Saariaho, Lotta Wennäkoski, Libby Larsen), directors (Peter Sellars), dancers (Minna Tervamäki, Michael Schumacher, Satu Rekola), poets (Maritza Nunez, Chrys Salt), chamber musicians (Meta4), conductors (Ernest Martinez Izquierdo, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Susanna Mälkki), pianists (Anna Laakso, Kristian Attila, Adolf Pla), and actresses (Seela Sella, Kati Outinen).
Pia is quite in her element as a strong interpreter on opera stages or as a solo singer with big orchestras. She also works perfectly with chamber music assemblies and singing Lied interpreting music literature and poetry.
Pia’s motto: ”Art is a relationship of rendition where the world speaks to us through art”. Therefore, her passion is to make boldly outspoken artwork entities in which she loves to combine the potential possibilities of theatre, dance, visual arts, poetry, and music, in order to observe and shed light on even the most difficult social issues. The objective and ambition in all of Pia’s artistic activity is and will always be a true encountering and communication with her co-artists as well as the audience.
Anna Laakso
is a versatile musician and performer who works in diverse fields of art and entertainment.
As a pianist, Anna is especially competent in chamber music and Lied but she thrives also as a soloist. During her career, Anna has collaborated with a range of different art groups, such as theatre and dance groups. She has also worked with several composers recording and performing their work.
Anna has performed in multiple concerts and festivals in Finland. She has also performed internationally collaborating with artists such as Ivry Gitlis ja Zoltan Kocis.
Anna resides in Rovaniemi, Finland's northernmost province, Lapland.
From 2004, Anna has collaborated closely with Lapland Chamber Orchestra lead by conductor John Storgårds. Her work includes playing in the orchestra, performing as a chamber musician and a soloist as well as leading diverse projects as a pianist, singer and presenter.
Anna studied at the Sibelius Academy. Her teachers include Tuija Hakkila, Heini Kärkkäinen and Carlos Juris. Anna's passion towards chamber music was awakened by teachers such as Paavo Pohjola, Ralf Gothoni, Ilmo Ranta and Ilan Gronich. In 2008 Anna graduated with a Master in Music.
Anna has received artists' grants from the Finnish State and the Finnish Cultural Fund in the years 2013 and 2016.
She is the founder of a music society called "Valoa Kamariin" (Light to the Chamber). She takes great pride in organising events and creating content for the society. Anna is the second artistic director of Nurmes Summer Academy& Summer concerts. Between the years of 2013-2015, Anna worked as the head of music at Rovaniemi Theatre and during 2017-2018 as the head of music for the town theatre of Kemi, Finland.
