Veli-Matti Puumala

{{short description|Finnish composer (born 1965)}}

Veli-Matti Puumala (born 18 July 1965) is a Finnish composer. He is currently (since 2005) the professor of composition at the Sibelius Academy.

Puumala was born in Kaustinen, and studied composition in Helsinki under Paavo Heininen from 1984 to 1993 and in Siena under Franco Donatoni in 1989 and 1990.{{cite web|url=http://www.fennicagehrman.fi/composers/puumala-veli-matti/ |title=Veli-Matti Puumala at Fennica Gehrman|publisher=Fennica Gehrman|access-date=2012-07-25}} His musical style is rooted in European Modernism,{{cite news |title=Breakthrough for young Finnish composer |author=Peter H. Larsen |url =http://dvm.nu/periodical/ns/ns_1993/ns_1993_01/breakthrough-for-young-finnish-composer/ |newspaper=Nordic Sounds |date= January 1993 |access-date = 18 August 2012}} but has been also described to contain stylised references to folk music and modal elements.{{cite web|url=http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/0/6F00E2BA0095A953C2257537002AF704?opendocument&cat=contemporary_-_classical |title=Veli-Matti Puumala in Profile|publisher=Finnish Music Information Centre FIMIC|access-date=2012-07-25}} In addition to instrumental and vocal music, Puumala has also composed a number of electronic works and one radiophonic work, Rajamailla (Borderlands), which won the Prix Italia in 2001.{{cite web|url=http://www.prixitalia.rai.it/2012/Pdf/Winners1999-2003.pdf |title=Prix Italia past editions - winners 1999-2003 |publisher=RAI|access-date=2012-08-08}} His piano concerto Seeds of Time was awarded the Teosto Prize by the Finnish Composers' Copyright Society in 2005,{{cite news |title= Teosto palkitsi Nurmion ja Puumalan |author1=Pirkko Kotiranta |author2=Veera Nikkilä |author3=Vivi Vaissi |url=http://www.hs.fi/digilehti/arkisto/Teosto+palkitsi+Nurmion+ja+Puumalan/aaHS20051201SI1KU01zes |newspaper=Helsingin Sanomat |date=1 December 2005 |access-date=8 August 2012}} and in 2011 he was awarded the Erik Bergman Jubilee Prize "in recognition of his excellent, versatile work continuing the ethical and spiritual tradition of Modernism".{{cite web|url=http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/0/668EEF71050293B4C2257956002E4C66?opendocument |title=Erik Bergman prize to Veli-Matti Puumala|publisher=Finnish Music Information Centre FIMIC|access-date=2012-08-08}}

Puumala is also known as a musical educator: he has taught music theory since 1989 and composition since 1997 at the Sibelius Academy and was appointed as a professor of composition in 2005.{{cite web|url= http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/WLNEW/780EA5A67E239ACBC225761600305830?opendocument |title=Veli-Matti Puumala appointed as a Professor at the Sibelius Academy|publisher=Finnish Music Information Centre FIMIC|access-date=2012-08-08}}{{cite web|url=http://nordicmusicdays.org/2013/en/saveltajat/puumala-veli-matti-fi/ |title=Puumala, Veli-Matti |publisher=Nordic Music Days 2013|access-date=2013-08-20}}