One of the biggest music projects I've been involved in is Lento ("Flight"). It's a musical created and performed by Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts with ten shows at Savoy Theatre in Helsinki on 24−28th April 2017.

The musical tells a story of a 6-year old girl who loses her brother, how she tries to find him again and how people around deal with their grief. Despite the serious topic the musical has a lot energy and humour. The script is written by Emilia Lehtinen, an author and documentarist who also teaches film making in Kallio.

I had multiple roles in the musical. I coached the composer team of 15 students who received lyrics from the author in August 2016 and turned them into nine songs with different pre-suggested genres. I also led the orchestra of 14 students who started their rehearsals in October after receiving (almost) finished songs from the composers. I made most of the arrangements for both the orchestra and singers. Afterwards I mixed the sound for two multi-camera live video recordings of the show.

Lento engaged over hundred students and reached over 4000 spectators. It was also a part of Finland's official centenary celebrations.

Photo: Siiri Sainio