Avustaja will be performed at Resonance against Routes.Sophia Chambon (2001- ) is a Finnish and French composer and pianist. In 2018, she started her studies in composition at the Youth Department of the Sibelius Academy, and in 2023 she completed her Bachelor's Degree there. In 2023-2024 she was an Erasmus student at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris as Stefano Gervasoni's student. She has attended masterclasses with Saariaho, Sciarrino, Iannotta, Andre, Mundry, Lazkano and Pauset in Accademia Chigiana, Darmstadt, Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu and ManiFeste. Her works have been played amongst others by Pauha trio, Kaaos Ensemble, Uusinta Ensemble, Quartetto Prometeo, Ensemble Next, and she has had workshops with the Finnish RSO and Tapiola Sinfonietta. She feels at home composing for orchestras, strings and the human voice and she likes to explore unconventional timbral combinations by means of any instruments or electronics. For her, every composition is an exploration of something new.
Avustaja
Avustaja is a version of a longer text written by Eeva-Maaria Halonen (1992-) depicting her experience as a nursing assistant. Taking almost the form of a miniature monologue opera, Avustaja is also Halonen's and Chambon's first collaboration. Chambon explores the sounds of the different Finnish voyels and consonants and transcribes similar sonorities to the other instruments. Concerning the vocal part, she pushes the singer to the limits where singing becomes speech, and invites her to whisper, gossip, and play with letters and sounds. Instead of putting the solo singer apart from the instrumentists, she gives an equally important role to all musicians in her composition.