MID EUROPE

The Guards Band of Finland, FI

The Guards Band of Finland will enrich the program of the Mid Europe festival 2010! We are very pleasured to welcome them to Schladming!

The history of the Guards Band of Finland reaches back to the year 1819 when three musicians were recruited to the teaching battalion in Helsinki. Nowadays the music corps is a sinfonic wind orchestra existing of 40 people which is subordinated to the commander of the hunter's regiment of the guard and carries for state representation events as well as to appearances in the garrisons the responsibility.

In addition to the representation events the music corps gives yearly about 40 concerts. The traditional spring, autumn and christmas concerts count to it, as well as the concerts of the Töölö row where new wind music is brought forward, together with own and guesting bandmasters and soloists. The music corps of the guard appears not only in Helsinki, but also gives appearances in the whole country and represents Finland abroad by concerts and march appearances.

Within the music corps numerous small compositions also work. The Kaartin Seitsikko-Septett maintains and develops the traditional Finnish wind composition, the Kaartin combo shines by her show mood, the Wind Octet offers tasteful concert music and the Femu Brass Band plays fresh music for every taste. Light music offers the Tusan Brass Band in the New Orleans style and Brutallica for their part heavy trumpet music.

With the central collection of marks of the Finnish defensive forces which works in connection with the music corps of the guard serves about ten recruits. The compositions which form this give yearly about 150 appearances in events in the south of Finnland. With the music corps also there functions the instrument repair workshop of the defensive forces.

Elias Seppälä - chief conductor

Music Lt. Col. Elias Seppälä laid off in 1983 by the teachers Pertti Pekkanen und Atso Almila its military bandmaster exam at the Sibelius Academy, after which he worked for a short time as a younger conductor of the "Band of the garrison Helsinki". In 1986 he moved to Oulu, and became the head of the military band Pohja to return to Helsinki in 1995 when he became head of the Guards Band of Finland. After thirteen years as head of the Band of the Guards, Mr Seppälä appointed in 2008 for the staff's master of the Finnish defense forces.

From the beginning, Elias Seppälä has taken the trouble to develop the artistic expression both of his own band as well as many other bands all over Finland. The further development of wind music culture in Finland is in the renewal of the repertoire and function of the wind band the decisive factor. In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Seppälä has also been active as a director of various music camps and courses. He also has had numerous orders and honors such as the Finnish Presidency for the instrumental and military bandmaster Associations (Soitinmusiikkiliitto Sotilaskapellimestarit ry and ry), and in many competitions he assumed the task of the judges.
Elias Seppälä was awarded the following prizes and awards: In 1994, the Art Award of the district of Oulu, in 1995 the honorary prize for music of the Finnish Radio, the so-called "honor weight stones of music" for which he headed, wind band, military band of the year in 1999 and in 2004 by the The Finnish Amateur Musicians' Association, SULASOL, conferred Heikki Klemetti Prize.

As an arranger for brass bands, Elias Seppälä is widely known. He has edited numerous arrangements for different wind music formations and has been responsible for the development and implementation of the music program at public events. By order and import of new works he has in turn contributed powerfully to the creation of new music for wind music formations.

Raine Ampuja - conductor

Music Major Ampuja Raine (born 1958 studied) 1980-1988 flugelhorn, music theory and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In 1988 he passed his exams and was bandmaster of "The Guards Band of Finland". In 2006, Mr. Ampuja the duty of the head of the Band of the armored brigade. A few years later he returned to the Guard when he returned on 01.03.2009 to the Director of the Band of the Guards has been appointed.
Mr. Ampuja is the father of the Finnish figure march. In 1993 he studied in England, the Royal Marines School of Music. After graduation, Mr. Ampuja for several tattoo-tours which have traveled around the whole of Finland, wrote the script and directed. has experience of directing large events to collect Mr Ampuja through a series of similar tasks, eg the World Ski Championships in Lahti in 2001, the fiftieth anniversary of the theme park Linnanmäki in Helsinki and the Sibelius recent singing contest in Järvenpää in October 2007 that he planned and supervised.

Besides working as a conductor and teacher Raine Ampuja is also a composer and arranger for brass band. Apart from the abundant wind music production Ampuja Raine has written for many different compositions, including for the visit of the Pope in Helsinki ordered ceremony music and the music for the opening of Ski Championships in Lahti 2001. His most famous piece "Magic" is based on the Finnish national epic "Kalevala". The piece tells the story of Vainamoinen who knows the secret and the power of music.
As an instructor and conductor Raine Ampuja has already been active over 20 years, both in Finland and abroad, and he has also written two books about brass band music. Mr. Ampuja is chairman of the Finnish Wind Band Association and the Sibelius Weeks. He also works as chief editor of the magazine he founded "Puhallinorkesteri Uutiset". In 1995, Mr. Ampuja became the military band musician of the Year and in 1996 he won the Klemetti Prize.

He was also awarded for his services with a Military Medal and a Military Cross.