Draft:Kari Henrik Juusela



Dr. Kari Henrik Juusela is an Finnish-American cellist, composer, performer, educator, and former Dean of the Professional Writing and Music Technology Division at Berklee College of Music  in Boston, Massachusetts.

Early Life: Kari was born on September 15, 1954 in Espoo, Finland. His family emigrated to the United States to Washington, D.C. when he was 7 years old, where his mother Kaija Juusela was an opera singer with the Washington Opera Society and sometimes at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and his father Oiva Juusela represented Finland at the International Monetary Fund.

Dr. Juusela’s compositions have been performed around the world in concerts and festivals ranging from Moscow Autumn to the Shanghai Electronic Music Weeks.

Education: B.M., Berklee College of Music M.M., Georgia State University D.M.A., University of Maryland

Musical Inspiration: The musical inspiration that lead him to become a composer passed down from his parents, Oiva and Kaija Juusela, who were both performers. Dr. Juusela states:

"I was convinced by my musician parents (mother an opera singer and father a pianist) that Sibelius (the famous Finnish composer) was one step from being a god. I started composing at around four when I composed Suomen Suru Laulu (Finland's Sad Song) which my mother notated for me. Other early inspirations were Ginastera, Stravinsky, Mozart, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago."

Career: His works have been performed at venues including Carnegie and Tchaikovsky Hall by international ensembles and performers, as well as by numerous rock, pop, and jazz groups.

Composition performances and commissions by the CORE Ensemble, Jacksonville Symphony, Cellobration, Vienna State Opera, Stephen Robinson, David Bjella, Beth Newdome, Boyd Jones, Nandkishor Muley, Cuartetto Latinoamericano, London Chamber Group, and many professional, university, and college ensembles Bass and cello performances with Ictus, Jerry Tachoir Quartet, Dan Matrazzo Quartet, Nandkishor Muley, V. K. Raman, Panaiotis, Orlando Philharmonic, Florida Space Coast Symphony, and the Brevard Symphony Compositions published by ISG Publications, Yelton Rhodes Music, Throckmorton Press, and KARD Music Compositions recorded on Capstone Records, Lakeside Records, University of Maryland Recordings, Trutone Records, and Stetson University Press

Publications:

He is the author of over 20 college-level courses and is the author of the Berklee Contemporary Dictionary of Music.

A collection of his works can be found online at North Eastern University and the Library of Congress.

His works can be downloaded from Apple Music, SoundCloud, Spotify.

Leadership and Teaching Career:

-Dean of the Professional Writing and Music Technology Division at Berklee College of Music

-Former associate dean of composition at Stetson University

-Former director of the Stetson Digital Art Ensemble and Stetson New Music Ensemble

-Former teacher at Montgomery College, American University, University of Maryland, and Frederick Community College

-Board of directors member, Asian Cultural Association

-Region IV cochair and National Council member, Society of Composers

Awards: His music has won awards in competitions including:

-1989 GASTA String Quartet Composition Competition -1995 Vienna International Full-Length Opera Competition directed by Claudio Abbado; First Prize -1997 Stetson University Hand Award for Faculty Research and Creativity -1997-98 Florida Council for the Arts Individual Artists Music Composition Fellowship -1998 ASTA String Quartet Composition Competition Grand Prize and First Prize -5 awards in both the 1996 and 1990 Composer's Guild Composition Contests -2003 London Chamber Groups "Piece of the Year Competition"; Second Prize -2003 International Red Stick Composition Competition; First Prize -2004 San Francisco American Art Song Competition Established Professional Category; First Prize -2004 Aliénor Harpsichord Composition Contest; First Prize for mixed ensemble -2005 International Trumpet Guild Composition Competition; First Prize -2015 First Prize in the 2015 American Music Awards -2021 Cello Museum The Cellist’s Notebook competition -Finalist and has been the recipient of many other composition awards and honors. -Numerous awards from ASCAP

Publishers: Dr. Juusela’s music is published by ISG Publications, MuusJuus Music, Yelton Rhodes Music, and Tower Records.