ORBIT

Eija Kankaanranta is a Finnish kantele musician who specializes in contemporary music and improvisation. She has premiered works by Jukka Tiensuu, Lotta Wennäkoski, Akira Kobayashi, Michael Finnissy, Juhani Nuorvala, and Kaija Saariaho, most recently concerts by Mikko Heiniö and Timo Alakotila. Her solo CD “Griffyr – Contemporary Music For Kantele” was released in 2007. In 2009, she became the first classical kantele player to complete a doctoral degree at the Sibelius Academy. She has performed as a soloist with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, the Pori Sinfonietta, the Joensuu City Orchestra, and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble. She has also played in ensembles such as the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, the Figura Ensemble, and the Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen. Her own ensembles include Superpluck (with harpsichord and guitar) and Juurakko (blues/contemporary folk music), as well as duos with flutist Camilla Hoitenga (USA/Germany) and violinist Marianne Maans. From 2016 to 2022, she played kantele in Kaija Saariaho’s opera “Only the Sound Remains” with performances in Europe, Japan, and the USA. In 2021, Eija was appointed lecturer for kantele at the University of the Arts Helsinki. In 2024, she received a one-year state scholarship from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.