Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, known for exploring color and light in her music, has died at age 70.
Composer’s background: Saariaho faced early career obstacles due to sexism, with some professors refusing to teach her.
* The composer’s drive to create music helped her overcome these challenges, and she became a prominent and influential figure in contemporary music.
Historic achievement: In 2016, Saariaho’s opera L’amour de loin became only the second opera by a woman to be staged at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in over a century.
Recent work: Her latest opera, Innocence, received its UK premiere at London’s Covent Garden in April.
* The opera, thematically focused on a school shooting, has been called a “modern masterpiece” and will be staged at the Met during the 2025-2026 season.
Legacy: Saariaho earned numerous prestigious composing awards throughout her career and was even voted the greatest living composer by a BBC Music Magazine panel in 2019.
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