Henrik Otto Donner died

Composer, musician and Teosto’s former chairman Henrik Otto Donner died on 27 June 2013.

He was born in 1939. Beginning his career in the late 50’s, Donner was one of the cornerstones of Finnish jazz, both as a trumpet player and an overall cultural entity. He started studying music theory at the Sibelius Academy and later was mentored and taught by people such as Terry Riley and György Ligeti. 

He was one of the founders of Love Records, a pioneering record label that went to release some of the most important albums of Finnish jazz, rock, ethnic and political music of the 1970s. From 1969 to 1976 he led one of Finland’s oldest choirs, the Akademiska sångförening.

Between 1970 and 1974 Donner was the director of the entertainment section of the Finnish Radio. From 1994 to 2006 Donner served as the chairman of Teosto, and from 2000 to 2005 he was the Professor of Arts.