Matthew Whittall

For a small country, Finland is quite renowned for its great musical talents. From Sibelius to Saraste, Finns have proved that when it comes to music, they really know their stuff. So, it is not surprising that students from around the world flock to Finland to study at this country’s highly esteemed institutions of musical learning, the most famous being the Sibelius Academy, which was founded in 1882 and has received its name from one of its most famous pupils.

One of these foreign students who has come to study at this prestigious academy is a fellow Canadian, Matthew Whittall, who hails from the Eastern Townships in Québec - about an hour outside of Montréal.

Having been exposed to music at a very young age, Matthew officially began his musical career with violin and piano lessons while he was in elementary school. He carried on to play wind instruments in the high school band and this was where his interest also grew in the French horn, which became his instrument of choice over the course of his studies. In terms of formal training, Matthew was pretty much self-taught to the Cégep level.

Matthew’s post-secondary academic history begins with a two-year stint at Vanier College in Montréal. From here, Matthew moved on to McGill University for a year and ended up finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Performance and Composition at the University of Massachusetts.

So what got him to come here to Finland? Well, after finishing his Master’s degree in Composition in 2001 at the State University of New York in Long Island, Matthew longed for a change. He had always wanted to live in Europe and after a friend suggested checking out Finland, Matthew did some research and applied for a bilateral scholarship through CIMO – the Centre for International Mobility. As luck would have it, he was accepted and so began the next chapter in the life of this well-travelled musician.

Currently, Matthew is pursuing his Doctorate in Composition at the Sibelius Academy. He is concentrating his research on examining the idea of nature in music. This seems like an almost natural choice for the tradition of translating nature into aural terms is strongly present in both Canadian and Finnish music.

Matthew’s studies at the Academy have proven to be both fascinating and frustrating. He appreciates the coherent Finnish approach to learning how to write music and feels that Finns have a clear sense of purpose of what music is and how it is done, which attests to a commitment to an ideal. What Matthew finds frustrating at times is that different perspectives, especially passionate ones, are not always welcome. Whereas diversity is something that is very valued in North America, he finds that this is not always the case in Europe. Also, during his studies in the United States, Matthew grew to really appreciate the American openness and go-get-‘em attitude, which is a trait that he finds is somewhat missing in his new adopted country.

Overall, Matthew finds that studying in Finland is more similar to studying in Canada than in the United States. He finds that both have hierarchies, codes of conduct and systems of seniority that are difficult to escape. Nevertheless, the Finnish academic structure is somewhat freer and less structural, allowing for more independent work.

When asked if he enjoys Finnish music, Matthew emphatically nods his head. He tells me that he finds that there is a discipline and a similiarity of purpose that is different from the “everything goes” mentality of the North American musical culture.

Matthew names Sibelius, Kaija Saariaho and Magnus Lindberg as a few influential Finnish composers that he has been most influenced by. He feels that they all seem to conjure up a sense of space – open landscapes in particular – through their music. Their symphonic tradition is one of the awesome imposing quality of music. Matthew mentions that, as Canada does not have a similar musical tradition as it is still fairly young and developing, it has not had as big an influence on his music.

Matthew underlines the importance of Finland’s great commitment to the arts. Funding for the arts in Finland is higher per capita than in Canada and the method of distribution is very democratic. He points out that the musical industries of the two countries are of approximately the same size although Canada is much bigger in terms of population and geography. He laments the North American attitude that all art needs to be profitable. Matthew finds that art is more community based in Finland, which allows for more opportunities for new artists.

Overall, Matthew has really enjoyed living in Finland. This is after all where he met his fiancée to whom he is getting married this summer in Estonia. It seems as though music will be a big part of the family as his soon-to-be wife also studies at the Sibelius Academy where she plays the traditional instrument, the kannel.

When asked to name the one thing that he most appreciates about his adopted country, Matthew tells me that he most values the sincerity of people – how they really mean what they say. What he finds most difficult, on the other hand, is breaking into the culture as a musician due to the smaller circles, as well as the linguistic and cultural barrier. As with many newcomers to Finland, Matthew finds that on a social and professional level it is somewhat difficult at times to assimilate into Finnish society.

Matthew finds time to visit Canada about once a year. What he misses most about Canada is the sense of familiarity. Going back home, he says, is like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. As well, good ethnic food is another thing that he misses. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys skiing, as well as good food and good wine.

There are several opportunities over the summer months to catch a performance by this up-and-coming Canadian composer.

- Matthew is the composer in residence for the Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat with whom he has a performance on the 21st of May at the Helsinki Conservatory at 19.00.

- Another performance will be held in Tampere at the Tampere Sävel Choir Festival that is taking place from 8th -12th of June. The piece that will be performed is called “Yuki” which means snow in Japanese.

- Also, another performance will be held in the town of Mänttä in June. This time the audience will be treated to Matthew’s piano piece based on Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass”.

- A piano piece composed by Matthew will be played at the Ung Nordisk Musik festival held September 3rd – 9th in Helsinki. The piece is called “To break the winter cold”.

Laura Ojanen