Reetta Näätänen (MuM, HumK)

Näätänen attended the University of Helsinki (1994-2001) for East Asian Studies, majoring in Japanese language and culture, as well as Sibelius Academy (1997-2003) for musical performance (clarinet). She has always been drawn to East Asian cultures and observed over the course of her career that many composers are also inspired by East Asia. Are there still traces of Orientalism and colonialist thinking in Western contemporary music that utilizes geographically distant, exotic cultures? How can the performer aid in recognizing intercultural inequality and increase cultural sensitivity through their own background research? Näätänen’s doctoral concerts will consist of cross-cultural music with elements from different cultures (Japan, as well as Australian and Papua-New-Guinean indigenous cultures). She aims to examine the responsibility falling on the performer when performing music composed in different colonial eras and contexts.