Harri Sjöström
Harri Sjöström on soprano and sopranino saxophones, was able to soar away, sometimes by adding extra effects, like a trumpet mute stuffed into the bottom of the instrument.
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Born in Turku, Finland, and based in Berlin since 1985, Harri Sjöström is a soprano and sopranino saxophonist, improviser, composer, and artistic director whose work has contributed to the development of European contemporary improvised music for more than four decades.
After studying music and fine arts in San Francisco during the 1970s, he returned to Europe in 1978 and established himself as a freelance musician and artistic initiator. Since then, he has collaborated with among others: Derek Bailey, Lawrence Casserley, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Paul Lovens, John Russell, Paul Rutherford, Cecil Taylor and Teppo Hauta-aho.
Throughout his career, Sjöström has founded or co-founded numerous ensembles and projects, including Quintet Moderne, MOVE, ECIO (European Composers Improvisers Orchestra Pool), City Of Pyramids,The Player Is, Motström, Flight Mode, Mothers Delight, and others. Since 2016, he has been the founder and Artistic Director of the SoundScapes Festival, an international platform dedicated to contemporary improvised music.