Santeri
Music is for me both a channel of emotional experience and expression as well as a source of curiosity for intellect and experimentation. I play keyboards, sing, compose, arrange, produce, improvise and teach music and work as a music journalist.
I am the founder, pianist, composer and bandleader of Finnish folk fusion group Lapua-Uusi-Guinea. My solo alias Hartiamon combines electronic pop with folk traditions. I practice free improvisation with Helsinki Improvisers Orchestra and play solo piano arrangements of regional folk tunes under the project name Terranova. Additionally I can be found freelancing in cover bands, as an accompanist, or as a church organist.
I have graduated as Master of Arts (Music Education, University of Jyväskylä) and Bachelor of Music (Pop & Jazz Keyboards, Metropolia UAS, Helsinki). I live in Espoo Finland.
BANDS AND SOLO WORK
31.10.2025
Helsinki Improvisers Orchestra, Merihaan Kylätupa, Helsinki, FINLAND
11.10.2025
Hartiamon DJ set, PRIVATE EVENT, Kärkölä, FINLAND
26.9.2025
Helsinki Improvisers Orchestra, Merihaan Kylätupa, Helsinki, FINLAND
31.7.2025
Kaekuu festival, Lohilammen Taidenavetta, Karjalohja, FINLAND
8.7.2025
Terranova, Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Kaustinen, FINLAND
28.6.2025
Rekola church, Vantaa, FINLAND
9.6.2025
Solo, Private event, Helsinki, FINLAND
15.5.2025
Lapua-Uusi-Guinea, cruise ship P&O Aurora
9.5.2025
Solo, Private event, Helsinki
25.4.2025
Helsinki Improvisers Orchestra, Vihti church, Vihti
19.4.2025
Henkipuu, Helsinki Decompression, Espoo, FINLAND
28.3.2025
Helsinki Improvisers Orchestra, Merihaan Kylätupa, Helsinki, FINLAND
23.3.2025
Laponia Improvisations, Rahina club, Helsinki, FINLAND
28.2.2025
Helsinki Improvisers Orchestra, Merihaan Kylätupa, Helsinki, FINLAND
5.1.2025
Laponia Improvisations, Rahina club, Helsinki, FINLAND
5.1.2025
Munkkivuori church, Helsinki, Finland
1.1.2025
Munkkivuori church, Helsinki, Finland
TEACHING AND WORKSHOPS
Private tuition given with following topics:
•︎ playing the piano, electronic keyboards and harmonium
•︎ including classical, jazz, pop and folk music
•︎ improvisation (jazz, blues, pop, rock etc.) for all instruments
•︎ ear training and music theory
•︎ composing and arranging
•︎ making music, producing and mixing on a digital audio workstation
I teach group workshops on collective improvisation that focus on listening, reacting and variation, discovering creative and unexpected ways of sonic expression, and strengthening a courageous, playful and intuitive way of musicing.
Prices for private tuition in Espoo, Finland (incl. VAT 25,5%)
45 min / 50 €
60 min / 60 €
90 min / 90 €
Long-distance online teaching is possible with no extra fee.
Home visits in Helsinki region are negotiated separately.
Contact me for a lesson.
Writing
Since 2012 I have been working as a part-time music journalist, writing reviews, interviews, reportages
and actualities. My employers and clients have included Suomen Kuvalehti, Keskisuomalainen,
Finnish Music Quarterly, Rondo, Finnish Composers’ Association and Musica nova Helsinki.
Articles in English (published by Finnish Music Quarterly):
FMQ Playlist: Anniversaries (Oct 2025)
FMQ Playlist: New Finnish Choir and Vocal Music (Apr 2025)
Life, the Universe and Everything: The High and Mighty Royal Doomsday Choir of Tampere (Mar 2025)
Band in a box: The deep connection between the accordion and the dance floor (Dec 2024)
FMQ Playlist: Finnish Accordion in the 21st Century (Dec 2024)
Libero Mureddu: Free steering in coded chaos (Jun 2024)
Finding your voice in a foreign country (May 2024)
Verneri Pohjola’s world-building is both mindful and intuitive (Apr 2024)
Orpheus jamming with Väinämöinen (Jan 2024)
And Quiet Flows the Tape (Aug 2023)
Sculpting silence with picks and amplifiers (May 2023)
Jazz and the City (Jan 2023)
The other West Coast: Jussi Fredriksson and the Turku jazz scene (Nov 2022)
Re-thinking touring – ecological sustainability requires concerted efforts (Dec 2021)
The bearable heaviness of Kaivos (Oct 2021)
Concert venues in all shapes and sizes (Jun 2021)
CONTACT AND BOOKING
santeri.kaipiainen@gmail.com
+358 40 825 1882