The ability to think and feel on a conscious level is what makes us humans differ from other species on earth. This is also what Cecilia Damström (b.1988) tries to achieve with her compositions; to make people think and feel.

Born into a multicultural family in Helsinki, languages and the possibility of combining languages, have always appealed to her while composing. With a background as a classical pianist and with theatre as an interest, also harmony, direction, a sense of drama, and expressivity are always present in her music.

Since graduating in 2014 she has constantly been working on commissions for various ensembles and festivals. Her compositions have received several national and international composition prizes 2009-2022.  With the piece ICE commissioned by the European Green Capital Lahti 2021 she won the prestigious Teosto-Prize 2022. Her accordion concerto Permafrost was nominated by the Finnish Broadcasting Company to represent Finland at the 70th International Rostrum of Composers, where it was elected to the list of works recommended for broadcasting and concert presentation. Her piece Extinctions, commissioned by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize 2024. Her fairytale opera Dumma Kungen won the award for “Children opera of the year” in 2018. In 2019 she made her debut with the Finnish National Opera with her school opera Djurens planet. 

Her works for orchestra have been performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2020 & 2024), Colorado Springs Philharmonic (2020), Tampere Philharmonic (2024), the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra (2023 & 2024), Hyvinkää City Orchestra (2024), Vaasa City Orchestra together with Seinäjoki City Orchestra (2023), Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra (2022), Tapiola Sinfonietta (2022), Kymi Sinfonietta (2022), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2021), Oulu Sinfonia  (2021), Lohja City Orchestra (2021 & 2023), Joensuu City Orchestra (2021 & 2022),  Kuopio City Orchestra (2019 & 2022), Jyväskylä Sinfonia (2016, 2018 & 2023), Gävle Symphony Orchestra (2018), Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra (2018) and Avanti! (2011) as well as at festivals such as Young Nordic Music Days in Aarhus (2016) and Tampering (2014, 2015 and 2017). Her music has been premiered by musicians such as the Brodsky Quartet, Monica Groop, Elina Vähälä and Pekka Kuusisto. Since 2019 she is signed with one of the biggest music publishers in the Nordic countries, Gehrmans Musikförlag.

Damström’s broad catalogue of compositions includes chamber music, choral works, orchestral works as well as four chamber operas. Her music has been performed in the USA, Canada, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her music is regularly performed in Finland and Scandinavia at different concerts as well as at festivals such as Tampere Biennale (2010, 2012, 2014, 2022 and 2024), Time of Music (2019 and 2023), Musica Nova Helsinki (2023), Korsholm Music Festival (composer in residence, 2023), Tallinn Chamber Music Festival (2023), Oulu Music Festival (2023), Kokkola Winter Accordion (2023 and 2024), BRQ Vantaa Festival (2023), The Baltic Sea Festival (2022), RUSK Chamber Music Festival (2022 and composer in residence 2017), Joensuu Winter Music (2021 and 2022), Sång- och Musikfesten (2016 and 2022), Latosoitot (2022), Sibelius in Korpo (2022), Luosto Soi (2022 and 2023), Our Festival (2021), Kauniainen Music Festival (2021), Hetta Music Days (2021), Nurmes Summer Concerts (2021),  Mänttä Music Festival (2021 & 2024), Lemi Music Festival (2021), Lux Musicae (2021), Pellinge Festival (2020), Tampering Festival (2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023), Music By the Sea (2019), Kumaus Festival (2019), Stift International Music Festival in the Netherlands (2018), Helsinki Winds (2017), VocalEspoo (2014 and 2016), Summer Sounds in Sysmä (2015), Summer Sounds in Porvoo (2011) and also at the Kokonainen Festival, where she is composer in residence (2016-2020). Her music has been radio broadcast in the USA, Sweden and Germany and is regularly broadcast in Finland.

This season’s 2024-2025 highlights include the world premiere of her orchestral piece Information commissioned by Tampere Philharmonic conducted by Matthew Halls and the world premiere of her violin concerto Earth Songs premiered by Elina Vähälä and TampereRaw, conducted by Maria Itkonen and with video projections by Marek Pluciennik. An other highlight is the Cecilia Damström Festival in Helsinki 8th and 9th of March organised by Uuden Ajan Ensemble and conductor Tapio von Boehm. She will also be making her debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with her piece ICE conducted by Emilia Hoving. ICE will also get its Portuguese premiere at the World New Music Days 2025.

Her pieces have gotten a lot of media attention, for example her 30 minute global warming themed Requiem for our Earth for female choir, electronics and video projection (by Marek Pluciennik) was described in Helsingin Sanomat with the words “sounded marvellously from the beginning to the end while shaking all of humanity” and called “the most important music I have seen in a long time” by Hufvudstadsbladet. Also the premiere of Nixus got big acclaim in the newspaper Karjalainen: “Damström’s use of the orchestra is impressive. Thus, it is also reminiscent of what a spectacular “instrument” the symphony orchestra is in skilled hands. There is so much gunpowder in Damström’s musical language that there even is to spare. Like it or not, the essential thing is that Nixus is not meaningless music but leaves a mark of remembrance. That is the thing that matters.” After her debut with the Radio Symphony Orchestra the biggest Finnish tabloid Helsingin Sanomat wrote “You could call her the Greta Thunberg of music”.  

Damström studied composition with Doctor Hannu Pohjannoro at Tampere University of Applied Sciences and graduated in 2014. She studied composition on the masters program at Malmö Academy of Music for Professor Luca Francesconi. She has also gathered much inspiration by travelling to master classes around Europe with Brian Ferneyhough, Samuel Adler and Kaija Saariaho among others.

Damström is working full time with commissions for musicians, ensembles and orchestras. In the season 2021-2022 she was artist in residence at Internationales Künstlerhaus Villa Concordia in Bamberg, Germany, a life achievement award rewarded by the Free State of Bavaria. The Finnish Cultural Foundation, The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland and Alfred Kordelin Foundation have supported her artistic work.

Cecilia Damström's webpage