Päivi Loponen-Kyrönseppä becomes the director of the Mirjam Helin Competition
10 August 2023
Päivi Loponen-Kyrönseppä (MMus) has been appointed Competition Director of the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition. The competition will, in the future, be held more frequently, every three years.
Päivi Loponen-Kyrönseppä has started work as Competition Director of the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition, organised by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. This is a new position at the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Loponen-Kyrönseppä holds a Master of Music degree and specialises in cultural management. She joins the Finnish Cultural Foundation after having worked at the Savoy Theatre, which is renowned for its profile in international programming.
Loponen-Kyrönseppä has worked as the director of the Savoy Theatre since 2013. Prior to that, she worked as the executive director of the Vantaa Orchestra, as the artistic director of the Lemi Music Festival, and as a music journalist for, for example, Helsingin Sanomat and Yleisradio. She also holds a Master’s degree in singing and is one of the founding members of the Opera Skaala company.
“Päivi Loponen-Kyrönseppä’s extensive networks in Finland and internationally, and her diverse experience in the field of music, provide an excellent basis for the development of the singing competition”, says Susanna Pettersson, CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Organised by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the singing competition has been held every five years since 1984. In line with a new policy decision by the board of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the competition will, in the future, be held every three years. At the same time, separate categories for men and women will be abandoned.
“The Mirjam Helin Competition has an important place in Finnish music life. Holding the competition more frequently allows us to increase its visibility, especially internationally”, says the opera singer Soile Isokoski, who will chair the jury of the competition in 2024.
The ninth Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition will be held in Helsinki from 3 to 12 June 2024.
Photo: Jussi Aalto