Pekka Kostiainen has studied at the Sibelius Academy, completing a church organist´s degree in 1968 and composition diploma under Prof. Jouko Tolonen in 1973. He was an organist for the Pohja Finnish parish from 1969 to 1971, and lecturer in Musicology at the University of Jyväskylä from 1971 to 2000. Pekka Kostiainen founded Musica Chamber Choir at the Department of Musicology in 1977, a choir which he still conducts today. In addition, he has conducted Vox Aurea, the children´s choir of the special music classes of the city of Jyväskylä, since 1994.
Pekka Kostiainen has won awards in several music composition competitions and has received numerous national and international recognitions for his work. In 2004 he was given an honorary doctorate at the University of Jyväskylä.
Awards and recognitions:
- arts prize of the Province of Central Finland 1979
- Church of Finldan composition prize 1983
- Kalevala scholarship of the Kordelin Foundation 1984
- "Kekrinpäivä" (Allhallows) prize of the Kalevala Society 1984
- working member of the Kalevala Society from 1988
- cultural scholarship of the Mittnordenkommitté (Mid-Nordic committee) 1989
- Klemerri prize of the Finnish Amateur Musicians´Association (SULASOL)1990
- Knigh of the Order of the Lion of Finland 1994
- Folk Music festival Kaustinen plaque 1995
- composition prize of the Federation of Euripean Choral Organizations (AGEC),
Die Goldene Stimmgabel 1995
- culture prize of the City of Jyväskylä 2001
- The Finnish Cultural Foundation grant for composing 2001
- 2nd prize in the "Communio" composition competition of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland 2002
- 1st prize in the composition competition of the Cantores Minores boys´choir 2002
- Heinz Hofmann -medal of the Finnish Youth Choir Association 2003
- several honoraty memberships of choirs and orchestras
- Valtion säveltaidetoimikunnan taiteilija-apurahat vuosina 1976, 1983 - 1985, 1987 - 1989,
1995 - 1997
- Jyväskylän Taide- ja Tiedesäätiön apuraha vuosina 1999 - 2004 ja 1.1. - 30.6. 2005
- an Honorary Doctorate at University of Jyväskylä 2004
The compositions of Pekka Kostiainen have been performed and recorded all over the world. Many choirs, both domestically in Finland and abroad, have chosen to perform Kostiainen's work. (fos example: Jaakobin Pojat, Jaakobin Isot Pojat, Regina angelorum, Revontulet, Mull´on heila ihana, Missa: In Deo salutare meum, Rikasmies ja aarreaitta).
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