End of an Era

What was your dream, when you were a child? I am sure you were not dreaming of becoming a competition director…

In short I wanted to become a doctor. It was the typical story of working hard, having the best scores, wanting to help people and work in the developing countries. 

Then, I applied to three Universities and got accepted to all of them. But at that point, my piano teacher said: you love music so much, you want to express yourself. Play as much as you can for a year, and then go to the Medical. Having started at the Sibelius Academy I just had to stay. I got involved with the student union and many positions of trust at the University. It´s been multiple duties all along: I was a pianist and singer, a music educator, an arts manager... Now I wonder what my life would have been had I chosen to become a doctor. It would probably have been much easier. But somehow I believe that this life has been much more exciting, with more opportunities, and with interesting people, which I´ve really learned to love. My job is all about connecting with people and creating opportunities with the network you have. The way we learn from one another and collaborate - I think that´s the key to everything in the world.

Back to the Federation. When did it cross your desk for the first time?

I came to the 2007 GA in Terni, that was my first experience with the federation, having missed Geneva and the Rothschild extravaganza in the years before. In Terni, it was still the old Federation- many people who had been taking part for many years. It was very formal compared with today, and the Federation business at the assembly took forever. But then, generations changed and a lot of new people came, some of them really, really enthusiastic and willing to commit. Glen Kwok became president in 2009 and brought a lot of new ideas and soon I too could join the core group. We really wanted to bring about change, develop communication and reach out to our members, define a new vision with a true mission. 
An organization of this size, taking decisions at a GA only once a year, shifts very slowly. But now after 16 years I am really quite happy today with what we have achieved and the way the Federation has grown and developed. So it´s easy to leave for me, knowing the Federation is in good hands and and ready for the future challenges.

You have served on committees and board for quite a while…

I think I became a committee member in 2011, and then Vice President in 2013, when Richard Rodzinski had to leave. And I stayed on as a board member until today, also working in the governance and compliance committees.

Will you miss being a competition director?

Absolutely. Mirjam Helin Competition has been in my life from the moment the idea of establishing this competition was born, for over 30 years. And I worked as an Executive Director for the competition for 17 years wanting to ensure that the Helin Competition would be on the top when it was my time to leave. However, being a competition director was a very lonely job. There were few people in the organization and the country who could share the knowledge and understanding of running an international contest, let alone maintaining an international network. Few people in Finland know how the system works, how you can benefit from connecting with people… so therefore, the Federation was really, really important for me and for the competition development. This is actually something that I don´t think everyone understands- the Federation can be indispensable in certain circumstances.

You must have many memories of General Assemblies during all those years.

Well, we go to different places, we go about our business and meet new people, that goes without saying. But it´s also about learning- learning from different cultures, being able to visit places where I would otherwise never go, meeting people I would otherwise never meet. Terni was in the old world, in Europe. Hamamatsu was still within the Federation albeit in the Far East. But take Yerevan, for example- the Khachaturian competition. Armenia was such an powerful experience. What a wonderful country! A completely different world- the old churches, Mt Ararat looming in the distance, and people almost fainting at the cognac factory…  it was such a great destination to visit.

Leaving the Federation, what are your thoughts about the future? 

Well, on my personal account the focus of my work will now shift to the PR and fundraising for the University of the Arts Helsinki. Lately, my efforts were with the creation of the UniartsHub, which aims to support entrepreneurship in the creative sector and arts industries. And funnily enough, the competition world is not far away as the university organizes the Sibelius and Maj Lind Competitions. 

And as for the federation: Today´s world is not the same that it was 20 years ago. There are many important issues to consider, issues that affect all our lifes and the lifes of our children- conflicts and wars, equality, the environment- just to name a few. There´s no way the Federation could say no to these issues. We must find our position regarding equality and inclusivity issues. Naturally, the Federation cannot become political in any way, but there are situations where we must take a stand, just like we did with Ukraine. What I would like to encourage is that the Federation would truly consider where to take a stand- to voice a clear opinion and be an example not only for the competition world, but for classical music as a whole.
 

©WFIMC 2023/FR