Harri Sjöström (soprano & sopranino saxophones)

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 many leading figures in contemporary improvised music, including a.o. Cecil Taylor, Derek Bailey, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Paul Lovens, John Russell, Paul Rutherford, 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. Alongside his performing and composing career, he has taught saxophone since 1980, composed music for film, and maintained an active practice as a photographer.

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                                                                                                                                                                       *portrait photo: Anja Grabert