Presenting our musicians: Anna-Maaria Oramo
Musician interview 29.9.2025
Although music has surrounded Anna-Maaria Oramo since childhood, she might not have become a musician without one small awakening.
Name
Anna-Maaria Oramo
Instrument
Harpsichord and organ
Short Introduction
I am a musician from Espoo, raised in a musical family, a singer, voice teacher, harpsichordist, conductor, Doctor of Music, wife, and mother. I hold four higher education degrees and speak six languages, with Finnish, English, and German used as home languages. I have been involved with FiBO since the days of the Sixth Floor Orchestra in various roles. My first FiBO concert was on Maundy Thursday 2004, playing the second orchestra harpsichord part in the St. Matthew Passion. Today, I work primarily as a performer and part-time teacher, and I am a recipient of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Artist Grant for 2024–2025.
Tell us about yourself
As the youngest in a musical family, I grew up in an environment where my relatives immersed themselves fully in music with a practical, down-to-earth approach typical of the Ostrobothnian style. This environment extended beyond my immediate family to many relatives. It was typical that when my mother traveled for concerts in the late 1970s, a large number of her students would stay at our home. Our home was constantly visited by figures from the classical music world, new music was created, and sometimes the potatoes went unboiled. My parents had enrolled me in the Helsinki French-Finnish School, which I attended from preschool through graduation. As a child, I played the piano with varying interest, mainly focusing on Bach and earlier music. Unfortunately, at that time my pianist mother did not think to introduce me to the harpsichord or organ, as these were very marginal genres then.
How did you end up with your instrument? Who or what chose it for you?
Around the age of 17, I wrote in my diary the guiding principles of my life: freedom, love, and rock ’n’ roll. When my piano studies faltered due to lack of interest, I sought meaning in a broader area. My teenage heart was first devoted to my Tupuna plush toy and then to hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, and the bustling youth culture. I was also deeply interested in Romanesque languages, historical architecture, and visual arts, so I went to study painting and design at a private school in Paris shortly after turning 19. I observed the shades of light reflected on buildings, processed them in my mind, drew, painted, designed, and cried from homesickness. Thanks to Paris’s inspiring effect, classical music began to fascinate me.
Upon returning home, a pivotal moment occurred. I listened to Musica Antiqua Köln’s 1984 recording of Die Kunst der Fuge, and by then, the “rock” in my life’s motto had acquired a “baroque” prefix. Shaped by Reinhard Goebel, Phoebe Carrai, and Andreas Staier, the tonal world of Baroque strings and the harpsichord left a lasting baroque imprint on my soul. I experienced a kind of awakening, abandoned study offers in biology and visual arts, and threw myself into the unknown. I had to explore the harpsichord, as I had discovered the truth. Around the same time, I worked as a summer assistant at the Chamber Orchestra Avanti! office, where I met Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen. At her suggestion, I began harpsichord lessons with Elina Mustonen. This path has brought a treasure trove into my life, led me to the present, and made me an actively performing harpsichordist and Doctor of Music. I returned to Paris twice: in 2002 as a harpsichord student and in 2012 as a harpsichordist in a French Baroque orchestra.
What inspires you as a musician and otherwise?
Early music suits an aesthete, as it emphasizes beauty, nuance, character, and a research-based playing style. I greatly enjoy sharing the wonder of music with colleagues, through conducting, and teaching. Musicians often grow with their instruments, so identity can entwine with the instrument. My identity detached from the harpsichord when I began studying singing, which was incredibly liberating. Today, I do not prioritize one primary instrument over the other.
Which other art form is closest to you?
Visual arts and architecture, as mentioned earlier, have had the greatest influence on my life. I especially enjoy them now that I no longer actively produce visual art myself.
What is your greatest musical dream?
I feel that my daily life cannot accommodate dreams bigger than life itself. Currently, I focus on developing as a conductor and singer. There are works I would like to conduct, such as Pellegrina intermedi, French Baroque opera, some major sacred works, to perform harpsichord concertos by Frank Martin and Francis Poulenc, and to sing medieval and Renaissance vocal music regularly. My greatest dream, however, is to one day spend less time on production work and focus solely on art. For possible retirement, I plan to acquire another harpsichord and immerse myself in recording harpsichord music in an aesthetic environment.
What is your favorite travel destination and why?
As a young girl, I dreamed of touching the soil of every continent and wading in every ocean. Environmental concerns have tempered this ambition. I have still experienced local life in West Africa, traveled through Southeast and South Asia, and hiked in U.S. national parks. I feel most at home in France and Italy. My husband’s homeland, Austria, is also very important to me. Concert tours are special, as the company and locations are usually top-notch. I have seen China and North America and toured major concert halls and unique small venues across Europe. Soon, I will travel to Switzerland with FiBO and then to Japan to perform Finnish contemporary music on medieval instruments.
Where does your soul rest?
My soul rests in pristine sanctuaries of waters, mountains, and forests. Additionally, Sastamala’s St. Mary’s Church, Rome’s Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Paris’s Sacré-Cœur, and St. Herman of Alaska Church in Tapiola.
How do you feel your work as an artist impacts society more broadly?
Society often demonstrates that an artist’s profession is not important, and that we should be productively employed, placed on welfare, or cease to exist. My role is to act as an ambassador for the arts, offering people opportunities to pause and find a new connection with themselves. Art can be used to highlight societal issues, but this is not my personal mission. When even one person is moved by my performance, I have performed a public health act. I am often convinced of this when facing tearful audience members. Art has intrinsic value, and I am its servant and mediator. If society does not understand this, it is not my concern. I will continue my work in one form or another as long as I live, and ideally beyond.
Why do you find it meaningful to perform music over 300 years old?
Early European music embodies our shared memory, history, stories, roots, and community. Music created before the Enlightenment relies on mathematical ratios, pure harmony, and structured interplay of independent voices—polyphony. Early music cannot function or resonate without certain acoustic and physical principles, which form its aesthetic foundation and deeply affect the listener’s psychophysical state. The oldest music I have performed is 1,000 years old, yet it resonates with modern audiences. I often get goosebumps performing 14th-century texts or Baroque’s finest musical phrases, feeling a connection to something larger. Humans do not change, but machines and electronics will eventually dominate our bodies and minds. Therefore, it is increasingly important to remember who we are.
Choose your favorite from FiBO’s Fall 2025 concert offerings and explain your choice.
Haydn’s The Seasons at the Helsinki Music Centre on October 5. The concert can also be heard in Bern or Zurich the following week. This promises to be an exciting project, featuring a rarely performed major work on period instruments. Alongside FiBO, the stage will host the incredible Zürcher Sing-Akademie choir—my favorite choir—and undoubtedly outstanding soloists.
Do you have any “secret” special skills?
I spend time, money, and attention on interior design, but otherwise my skillset is fairly open. I am also good at cleaning and organizing.
If you had to run the Cooper test or bake for a 30-person party, which would you choose?
I think I would choose the Cooper test. It cannot really be failed, and the result could also motivate healthier habits. I have little interest in baking, so I would not recommend my products except to close family, who are generally tactful in their feedback.