Composer Mioko Yokoyama honored with the Teosto Prize
One of the most prestigious art awards in the Nordic countries, the Teosto Prize, was awarded to Japanese-Finnish composer Mioko Yokoyama for her composition Mineralization.
Mioko Yokoyama has carved a niche for herself in Finnish contemporary music. Her work is characterized by a sense of playfulness and humor at its core, and her music has been commissioned by numerous ensembles, musicians, and festivals around the world, including Time of Music, Musica nova Helsinki, and Tampere Biennale (FI), as well as Gaudeamus Muziekweek (NL), Warsaw Autumn (PL), IMPULS Festival für neue Musik Sachsen-Anhalt (DE), and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (JP).
The Teosto Prize-winning Mineralization—written for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello—had its world premiere in February 2024, performed by Uusinta Ensemble.
"Mineralization is a gem of Finnish contemporary music, skillfully and ambitiously making the most of the chamber ensemble’s possibilities. Modern playing techniques—like preparing the violin and cello strings with Blu Tack—combine with porous, percussive, and frictional sounds. In doing so, Yokoyama creates a fascinating ‘super instrument,’ whose sounds merge in an imaginative and original way,” the Teosto Prize jury noted.
The winners of the Teosto Prize were selected from Finnish musical works published or premiered in 2024. Founded in 2003, the prize honors exceptional work by composers and lyricists. The other winner is Kristo Laanti for his work on DJ Kridlokk’s album Hai. The winners were announced at an invitation-only event in Helsinki on April 24th, and the total prize of EUR 40,000 is shared equally between the two winners.
Listen Mineralization on YouTube.
Further reading
Mioko Yokoyama's interview: Composer Mioko Yokoyama: The quest for translating meaning.
Mioko Yokoyama's column: "On my music and beyond – On the search for enjoyable contemporary music" on Finnish Music Quarterly.