Mioko Yokoyama: Mineralization

"The composer's role is to act as a filter between reality and the listener, transforming real life into something that differs from what the listener is accustomed to," summarizes composer Mioko Yokoyama.

Uusinta Ensemble releases an album in August 2026 featuring a selection of Yokoyama's works. At the album release concert, three of the album's four pieces will be heard: the award-winning Mineralization (2023), the solo work for prepared piano Game of Metal (2017), and There are always flowers (2021), composed during the pandemic. Between the pieces, Uusinta Ensemble's artistic director Jarkko Hartikainen discusses the works, Yokoyama's techniques, and questions of art, inspiration, and the significance of music with the composer. Part of the discussion will be conducted in English.

Mioko Yokoyama (born 1989) is a Japanese-Finnish composer living in Espoo. She earned her master's degree in composition from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2014 and completed her second master's degree at the Sibelius Academy in 2019. She is a member of the Finnish Composers Association and teaches score reading and orchestration at the Sibelius Academy.