Kaija Saariaho, the composer who explored color and light, has died at age 70

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.

View original article on NPR

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