CV

Personal information and date

Smolander
Marjo Riikka
Last edited November 30th, 2023

http://www.marjosmolander.com

http://www.facebook.com/marjosmolandermusic

Education

Degrees and qualifications

• 2023 Master of Culture and Arts, Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields, Metropolia
• 2019 Nordic Master of Global Music, Royal Academy of Music Aarhus, Denmark
• 2015 Master of Music, Folk Music Department, Sibelius Academy
• 2011 Bachelor of Music, Folk Music Department, Sibelius Academy
• 2010 Music Pedagogue, Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Folk music)

Other education

• 2023-2024 Pyörre –Leading and project management of the free field of art, University of Arts, Helsinki, 20 credits
• 2020-2023 Helsinki University, Open University studies in Society and Change, Gender studies, Indigenous studies, Cultural studies, a total of 40 credits
• 2019-2020 Womex Academy, World Pitch program
• 2017 Sabar drums studies in Dakar Senegal, 5 months
• 2014–2015 Music studies at Conservatoire des arts et metiers multimedia Balla Fasseke Kouyaté, Bamako Mali
• 2012 Music studies in Senegal and Mali, 5 months 
• 2007 Music studies in Senegal, 5 months

Work Experience

Artistic/management production of music publications

• Full artistic production, Eve Crazy & Mar Yo, New Stories, 2024
• Full artistic production, Marjo Smolander, Cosmologies, 2021
• Shared artistic production together with Pauliina Kauppila, Zäpämmät, Äiti Maa (Mother Earth) 2019
• Full artistic production, Sunny Xale, Sunuy Xale, 2019
• Full artistic production Trilogy, Eve Crazy & Mar Yo, 2021
• Full artistic production Jigéen ñi, Eve Crazy & Mar Yo, 2021
• Shared artistic production together with Pauliina Kauppila, Zäpämmät for Peace, 2020
• Full artistic production Raxasal say loxo, Sunuy Xale, 2020

Pedagogical work experience

• 2023 teaching music preparatory classes in schools by non-language-based methods
• 2023 Conductor–Kantelist, The Opera Lähde, The Finnish national Opera and Ballet
• 2022 – Kantele teacher at the music association in Siuntio.
• 2017, a music educator at Lutheran Church in Espoo
• 2016, a kindergarten artist in different kindergartens in Helsinki
• 2012-2014 I worked for 12 months as an educator in the kindergarten group where 70% of the children ’s mother tongue was some other than Finnish
• Since 2006, working as a Kantele and early age music pedagogy in various music schools in Finland. (Music school of Käpylä, Music school of Kauniainen, Music school of Kirkkonummi, Music school of North-Western Helsinki, Jamkids Music School, Music school of Middle-Karelia etc.)

Other employments

• 2023 Conductor–Kantelist, The Opera Lähde, The Finnish national Opera and Ballet
• 2021– Part of a group World Wide Women – female musicians crossing borders and building futures. The group consists of artists and researchers.
• 2015 – Sunuy Xale, Pedagogical and substantive development work.

Merits

Grants

• 2023 For composing a concert and writing an article about power hierarchies, Alfred Kordelin Foundation 10 800€
• 2023 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Production of Marjo Smolander & Dawda Jobarteh -duo’s album 4000€
• 2023 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, for the expenses of the artistic producer of the SINIMUSO album and for the mastering and printing of the album 8000€
• 2022 Music Promotion Foundation Finland, one-month working grant in Eve Crazy & Mar Yo duo. During this month I arranged six new songs for a band and started recording the duo’s album.
• 2022 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, For travel expenses to Mali and Portugal as part of working on the World wide women project 3000€.
• 2022 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, to artistic working 4600€.
• 2022 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Production costs of the album of Eve Crazy & Mar Yo 6000€.
• 2022 Music Promotion Foundation, Eve Crazy & Mar Yo ”Trilogy” music video 500€. 2021 Music Promotion Foundation, Womex Conference, in Portugal 300€.
• 2021 Finnish Culture Fund, for artistic working 13 000€.
• 2020 Kone Foundation, ”World Wide Women – female musicians crossing borders and building futures 12 500 €.
• 2020 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, for artistic working 4000€.
• 2020 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Travel expenses to Senegal for Sunuy Xale project 3000€.
• 2020 Music Promotion Foundation, One month grant for individual artistic working.
• 2019 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Folk, 3000€ & Music Promotion Foundation, 300€ Travel expenses to Zäpämmät duo to New Orleans to participate at Folk Alliance International Conference as official showcase artists.
• 2019 Music Promotion Foundation, For the production costs of the Zäpämmät duo’s album 400€.
• 2019 Otto A. Malmin Foundation, for artistic working in Zäpämmät duo 2000€
• 2018 Music Promotion Foundation, for artistic working in Zäpämmät duo 1700€
• 2017 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Sunuy Xale, for the costs of making the book and the music album 8000€
• 2014 Finnish Culture Foundation, Music Voyage to West Africa –concert in Middle Karelia region 5000€.
• 2013 Sibelius Academy, Travel grant to Villa Karo Residence in Benin 800€
• 2011 Sibelius Academy, Travel grant to study music in Senegal and Mali 1500
• 2010 Finnish Culture Fund, To buy Kirjokantele 3000
• 2007 Otsakorpi Foundation, Travel grant to study music in Senegal 1500€
• 2006 Karelian Culture Promotion Foundation, Travel grant to perform at Afrikakeur festival in Senegal 5000€

Awards and recognitions

• 2022 Zäpämmät, a showcase artist of Kaustinen folk music festival
• 2021 ”Cosmologies” album, the best Finnish and also self-released album in the World Music Charts in 2021.
• 2020 Zäpämmät, an official showcase artist of Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans
• 2020 Zäpämmät, “Kantele band of the year” nominated by Finnish Kantele association
• 2020 Zäpämmät, selected as “Global music match artist”
• 2020 Album “Äiti maa – Mother Earth” (Zäpämnmät) was 13th on the World Music Chart in 2021
• 2016 Sibelius Academy’s young artist of the summer

Publications

Music publications

• 11/2021 Eve Crazy & Mar Yo Trilogy EP
• 4/2021 Eve Crazy & Mar Yo, ”Jigéen ñi, music video and single
• 1/2021 Solo album ”Cosmologies”
• 12/2020 ”Tube Noise Generator and Forest Recordings with Kantele” – Heikki Lindgren & Marjo Smolander
• 10/2020 Zäpämmät -Zäpämmät for Peace
• 7/2020 Zäpämmät- single Kuovi
• 5/2020 Sunuy Xale, Raxasal say loxo music video
• 10/2019 Zäpämmät, Äiti maa -album
• 3/2019 Sunuy Xale -children’s book and a album
• 4/2016 Sama Xol, Marjo Smolander feat Myrma Paye, Senegal. Music video 2010 Rääsen, Rääkkylä-Senegal -album
• 2009 Kari-Pekka Pöykkö: Itkevä puu, album
• 2007 Rämpsäkät, Tuuli-album
• 2003 Rämpsäkät-album

Research related publications

• 2023 Sharing Music as Work: A Dialogue on Transcultural Collaborations. Elina Seye and Marjo Smolander. Musiikin suunta 2/2023, 45.  https://musiikinsuunta.fi/2023/1-2023-45-vuosikerta-2/untitled/
• 2023 Musicianship and Music Scholarship in Dialogue. Elina Seye, Sibone Oroza Ahonen, Ying-Hsien Chen, Marjo Smolander. Musiikin suunta 2/2023, 45. https://musiikinsuunta.fi/2023/1-2023-45-vuosikerta-2/musicianship-and-music-scholarship-in-dialogue/
• 2023 Master Thesis ”Development of non-language-based musical activities to support newly arrived migrant children’s musical participation in school life”. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki Finland. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/815081
• 2019 Master Thesis ”A mother and an artist”, Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus Denmark
• 2010 Thesis ”Griot muusikko ennen ja nyt” Karelia University of applied sciences and Sibelius Academy, Joensuu and Helsinki Finland.

Practicalities

Language skills

Finnish – mother tongue English – fluent French – good
Swedish – satisfactory Wolof – beginner

Technical and project management skills