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Arja Kastinen

Photo: Tuomas Ylönen 2023

The kantele player Arja Kastinen (b. 1963) was the first Finnish folk musician to take the Doctor of Music examination in the artistic study programme at the Sibelius Academy in December 2000. What inspired her to do this was the ancient Karelian kantele improvisation. The examination included five concerts and a written dissertation.

During 1997-2000, she gave five solo performances based on improvisation, entitled “Music based on the ideology and the acoustical phenomena of the kantele in the Karelian kantele improvisation”. The instruments she used were a 15-stringed kantele made by Keijo Säteri from Leppävirta, Finland, a 14-stringed kantele made by Rauno Nieminen from Ikaalinen, Finland, and a 9-stringed kantele brought from Karelia during the War in the 1940s. The original model for the 15- and 14-stringed kanteles was found in Korpiselkä, Finland, in 1916 and is now kept at the National Board of Antiquities (The  National Museum of Finland). In her performances, Kastinen mixed the old and new playing techniques presenting the versatile timbres and acoustic properties of the kantele. The concerts were experimental journeys to the dim and distant past seeking to uphold tradition while creating new things.

The title of the doctoral dissertation was Erään 15-kielisen kanteleen akustisesta tutkimuksesta (“An Acoustical investigation of a 15-stringed kantele”). The first chapter deals with the basic principles of musical acoustics mainly examined from the perspective of string instruments. The second chapter introduces the results of the acoustical investigation of the 15-stringed kantele. The measurements were performed in an unechoic chamber in the Instrument Research Centre of the Ikaalinen Institute of Arts and Crafts, Finland. Some strings of the kantele were played using different techniques and at different points of the string. The recorded sounds were then analysed by computer using the Intelligent Speech Analyser (ISA) program of Pitchsystems Oy, developed by Raimo Toivonen. M.Sc. (Tech.). The third chapter deals with tuning – first, introducing four different tuning systems and then clarifying the tuning of the 15-stringed kantele.

What’s up

Image: Tuomas Ylönen

 

Educational background

  • 18.12.2000 Doctor of Music (DMus), Folk Music Department, Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki
  • 16.12.1994 Bachelor of Music (now Master’s Degree), Folk Music Department, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki
  • 28.5.1982 Matriculation examination, Kaustinen Music High School

Other education:

  • 8.12.1992 Postgraduate Studies in Folk Music, Department of Folklore, University of Helsinki (9 credits in total)
  • 17.12.1988 Basic Studies (16 credits) and Advanced Studies (23 credits) from the Department of Folklore, specialising in folk music, University of Tampere
  • 20.5.1983 Folk dance instructor course (580 hours), Peräpohjolan Opisto and Finnish Youth Association, Tornio

Concerts

Performing artist for about 35 years. Performances outside Finland in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, Ireland, Serbia, USA, Kanada, Russian Karelia, Vietnam and Brazil.

24.11.2018, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Alison Melville, Ben Grossman & Arj Kastinen interacting with Heather Hart’s ‘Northern Oracle’ installation. Photo by Colin Savage.

Curitiba, Brazil, Nov 10, 2015. Photo: Elis Riberete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching

Teaching the kantele for about 35 years. Latests posts: Sibelius Academy, The University of Arts, Helsinki (1993–); Naantali Music School (2003–2018), Turku Conservatory (2013–2017). In addition workshops especially on kantele improvisation and Karelian kantele music.

Kokle camp in Latvia, July 31, 2022.

Runoi kantele-camp in Ilomantsi, Finland, 16-20 June, 2021. Photo: Hiromi Hokkanen.

 

Research

  • Research project Kantele of the Runosong Culture and the Dialogue of Creativity as a visiting researcher at the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department (MuTri Research Unit) of the University of the Arts Helsinki, 15.9.2021–28.2.2026
  • Brain and music: a six-hour exploratory improvisation concert (Musiikkitalo, Black Box, 6.2.2017) and related EEG measurement from the Cognitive Brain Research Unit, University of Helsinki, under Mari Tervaniemi, PhD. Analysis of the improvisation by Arja Kastinen, 2019–2020.
  • Mapping and research of historical small kanteles in Finnish museums 2011-2016, reporting and publication of instrument data 2015-2026 (bottom of Research page)
  • From 2008 onwards, comparison study of different brass and bronze wires in kantele replicas and modern small kanteles; some of the timbre experiments are published as videos on the Presentations page
  • Elemental analysis and comparison of bronze and brass wires in museum kanteles, 2009–2012; research published in the Kizavirzi book (2013)
  • Researching and re-writing the kantele-tune manuscripts from the beginning of the 20th century by Armas Otto Väisänen and Armas Launis, 2009–2010; research published in the book Kizavirzi (Kastinen-Nieminen-Tenhunen, Temps Oy, 2013)
  • Research of the late 19th century manuscripts and field trip information from Karelia; research published in the book (+ appendix CD) Taivas auki (Temps Oy, 2009)
  • An acoustical investigation of a 15-string kantele; the FFT analysis of the harmonics and changes in their performance during different playing techniques. The doctoral dissertation, Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department, 2000.
  • A biography of the Karelian kanteleplayer Vanja Tallas and the study of his music by FFT analysis, a thesis for the Master of Arts degree at the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department, 1993.
  • Research on aesthetics of the 19th Century Karelian Kanteleimprovisation in the light of contemporary sources; studies at the University of Tampere, 1984-1987.

    The research-based Kanteletupa-concert where the audience was able to take part in making the music. Musiikkitalo, Helsinki, February 11, 2023. Photo: Jorma Airola

Six hours of improvisation, photo Jorma Airola (Feb 6, 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written works

Recordings

Six solo albums:

  • IRO, MIPUCD401, 1995 – republished in 1997 as Kantele Meditation, Innovator-series, Finlandia Records, Warner Music Finland
  • ANI, TEMPSCD 02, 2008
  • Vaskikantele 1833, AANIA-6, 2008
  • The Last Gathering, TEMPSCD 04, 2012
  • Emanuel, TEMPSCD 05, 2016
  • Kantervo, TEMPS08, 2023

 

Four duo albums:

  • Vita with goathorn player Virpi Forsberg, SibKaCD027, 1999
  • KAJO with flutest Riitta-Liisa Joutsenlahti, TempsCD 01, 2005
  • Lavender Calm with world flutest Peter Phippen, Promotion Music Records 2011
  • Forest of a Thousand Songs with world flutest Peter Phippen, TEMPS 07, 2020

 

 

 

 

One trio-album:

  • Runoitrio, Taito Hoffrén, vocals – Arja Kastinen, kanteles – Markus Ketola, percussions. Juminkeko Foundation, promo CD published in Vietnam 2014.

Three albums of archival recordings:

 

 

 

Also:

  • Single “Riivattu” (AANIA-33), 2019
  • A companion CD for the book Pisarassa laajat lammet, TEMPSCD 06, 2016
  • Two folkmusic videos for Finnish Television, Yle Teema, released on spring 2010, Director: Mirja Metsola                   [The 5-String Kantele – The 10- and 14-String Kanteles]
  • A companion CD for the book Taivas auki – Itäisen Suomen ja Karjalan kanteleista 1800-luvun käsikirjoituksissa, 2009, TEMPSCD 03
  • Playing on a compilation CD Kantele Continuum, IMU-CD 081, SibKaCD 80, 2008
  • Satoyama Finland documentary released in Japanese television in August 2007, Director: Shohei Shibata, Assistant Director: Misa Kishi, Cameramen: Koichi Nagura, Masanori Sawahata and Shinichiro Kawaguchi, Music: Heikki Laitinen and Arja Kastinen
  • Playing on a compilation CD Tulikulkku, KICD 30, 1993
  • Playing on a compilation CD Kuulas hetki, OMCD 46, 1993

 

 

 

 

Sound installations:

To listen to Arja’s music, please visit at: youtube.com/arjakastinen  and: soundcloud.com/arja-kastinen

Invited memberships

Photo: Ilona Korhonen, 2022

  • Kalevalaseura (Kalevala Society) 28.2.2002
  • Armas Otto Väisänen Association 10.11.2005

Acknowledgement

A supplementary artist pension awarded by The Finnish Arts and Culture Agency, Kuvi (former Taike), from 1 January 2026 onwards.

Vuoden Wäinö 2013 (The Wäinö of the Year), the Finnish Central Committee of Folk Music and Dance.