In English

Sari Blå: Bridging Classical and Contemporary

Artistic Approach

Sari Blå is a pianist whose artistic identity is shaped by a French-Romantic and impressionist approach to sound, a poetic sense of form, and a strong engagement with contemporary music. In her work, tone color, narrative dramaturgy, and personal musical expression are always central. She approaches musical history as a continuous lineage in which the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, and Ravel naturally unfolds into modern and newly composed repertoire.

Chamber Music

Blå is an active chamber musician and collaborator. In 2023, she co-founded the Hanko Ensemble, presenting concerts in Hanko in a variety of duo, trio, and larger chamber formations, including Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in a version for piano and string quartet. She has collaborated with numerous leading Finnish musicians, and currently works closely with a cellist and a violinist. Her international collaborations include work with Peruvian-German cellist Johann Aparicio Bohorquez.

She has appeared at festivals such as the Ackté Chamber Music Festival and the Joensuu Music Festival, as well as in concert series by Korvat auki!, the Helsinki Festival, and the Jyväskylä New Music series. Blå has performed both as a soloist and in directing roles, including Mozart piano concertos with the Bravura Chamber Orchestra. In 2012, she made her Asian concert debut in Japan in a concert series dedicated to Finnish music.

Contemporary Music

Contemporary music and the premiere of new works are central to Blå’s artistic activity. In November 2024, she participated in the Verso Project as both a performer and a member of the artistic team, premiering a work by Matti Pakkanen together with Johann Aparicio Bohorquez. Alongside Finnish contemporary music, her repertoire includes works by Japanese composers such as Toshi Ichiyanagi, Akira Kobayashi and Yuiko Mukai. She collaborates with Japanese composers, and explores the musical worlds of a new generation of composers.

Education

She studied piano with, among others, Nikita Jushanin, Oleg Mantur, Janne Mertanen, and Peter Lönnqvist.Blå holds a Master’s degree in Piano and Chamber Music (YAMK) from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Jyväskylä. Her master’s thesis focused on the identity of the musical work through an analysis of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. 

Through the influence of teachers from diverse backgrounds, Blå has developed a distinctive sonic language, often described as richly colored, resonant, and powerful, inviting listeners on an immersive journey through musical color and form.