Harri Sjöström (soprano & sopranino saxophoneS)

Improvisation has been at the heart of my artistic life for more than four decades. For me, it is not simply a musical language, but a way of listening, communicating, and discovering new possibilities through collaboration. Every performance is a unique encounter in which music emerges through openness, trust, and shared imagination.
Throughout my career I have been fascinated by the meeting point between composition and improvisation, and by creating musical situations where different voices, experiences, and artistic perspectives can come together. Whether performing as a soloist, in small ensembles, large-scale formations, or interdisciplinary projects, I am inspired by curiosity, dialogue, and the creative possibilities that arise from taking artistic risks.
Creating spaces for artistic exchange has become an essential part of my work. Through founding ensembles, initiating collaborations, curating festivals, and bringing together musicians from different backgrounds and generations, I continue to explore how improvisation can connect people, ideas, and cultures. This commitment continues today through new projects, performances, and the SoundScapes Festival.

Born in Turku, Finland and based in Berlin since 1985, Harri Sjöström is a soprano and sopranino saxophonist, composer, and artistic director whose work has made a significant contribution to the development of European contemporary improvised music over more than four decades.
After studying music and fine arts in San Francisco during the 1970s at Lone Mountain College, the University of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Art Institute, he participated in workshops with John Cage, Bill Dixon, Vinko Globokar, George Lewis, George Russell, and Evan Parker, while studying saxophone with Leo Wright, Friedhelm Schönfeld, and Steve Lacy.
Returning to Europe in 1978, Sjöström established himself as a freelance musician, composer, and artistic initiator. After several years in Vienna, he settled in Berlin in 1985, where he has since developed an extensive career within the European and international contemporary music scene.
Over the years he has collaborated with many of the most influential figures in improvised music, including Derek Bailey, Cecil Taylor, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Paul Lovens, John Russell, Paul Rutherford, Tristan Honsinger, Teppo Hauta-aho, and many others.
A defining chapter of his career was his long-standing collaboration with Cecil Taylor between 1990 and 2016, which resulted in numerous performances worldwide and eight live recordings. His extensive discography documents more than four decades of artistic activity and collaborations with leading musicians of several generations.
As an artistic initiator, Sjöström has founded or co-founded numerous ensembles and long-term projects, including Quintet Moderne, Sestetto Internazionale, MOVE, ECIO (European Composers Improvisers Orchestra Pool), Up And Out, City Of Pyramids, The Player Is, Motström, and Flight Mode. These projects reflect his ongoing interest in developing new ensemble concepts and expanding the possibilities of contemporary improvised music.
Since 2016, Sjöström has been the founder and Artistic Director of the SoundScapes Festival, an international platform dedicated to contemporary improvised music that brings together established and emerging artists from across Europe and beyond.
Alongside his work as a performer and composer, Sjöström has taught saxophone since 1980, composed music for film, and maintained an active parallel practice as a photographer.
Today, he continues to perform, develop new ensembles and interdisciplinary projects, and create artistic collaborations that connect musicians, audiences, and ideas across borders.

 



                                                                                                                                                                       *portrait photo: Anja Grabert