UNHEARD LANDSCAPES

Mikko H. Haapoja (MMus) is a musician, media artist and music producer from Helsinki, Finland. In his solo project, Haapoja combines new electroacoustic folk music with soundscapes from all around the globe. Haapoja’s debut solo album Unheard Landscapes was nominated at #16 on WMCE global music charts in September 2023. Haapoja plays jouhikko, Savo-Karelian bowed lyre, and its bass version as his main instruments. The many layers of his music feature also singing, Finnish zither kantele, electronic beats and soundscapes from nature and cities like Tokyo, Istanbul, New York, Urubamba and Bamako.

In 2010 Haapoja initiated the sound art project Helsingin reitit – The Routes of Helsinki, which is about listening and capturing the sonic image of the Finnish capital and creating radiophonic pieces, installations and multidisciplinary art performances of it. The latest piece of the series ’Keskusmetsä’ (The Central Forest) represented Finland on EBU’s Prix Palma Ars Acustica competition in 2023. Haapoja’s art has been exhibited in various galleries and museums in Finland and internationally for example in Tokyo, New York and Berlin.