Heli HartikainenFI

Heli Hartikainen is a boundary-breaking saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and sound artist. As one of the boldest improvisers in Finland's experimental music and ambient jazz scenes, Hartikainen's music explores sonic textures and evolving soundscapes, abstractions, and concepts, always rooted in an insatiable love for sound. As a saxophonist, Hartikainen is a passionate instrumentalist, constantly pushing the limits of their instrument and themselves ever further.

Hartikainen's debut solo album, CHRONOVARIATIONS, which utilises 3D audio technology, was awarded the Finnish Critics' Association's "Kritiikin Kannukset" honorary prize in 2025 (awarded annually since 1961 for the year's most significant artistic breakthrough) and was nominated for the 2024 Emma Award for Best Jazz Album, the Finnish equivalent of the Grammy.