About Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Saariaho, born 1952 in Helsinki, died 2013 in Paris. Studied composition with Paavo Heininen at the Sibelius Academy, laterwith Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber in Freiburg. Worked at IRCAM in Paris and at other electronic studios, 1982. Numerous honors, including the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis (1986), the Prix Italia and the Wilhelm Hansen Prize (1988), the Grawemeyer Award (2003) and the Heidelberger Künstlerinnenpreis (2009). Honorary doctorates from the universities of Turku and Helsinki.