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The Sibelius Society of FinlandThe Sibelius Society of Finland was founded in December 1957. A number of renowned representatives of Finnish cultural life wanted to create a forum to support efforts to keep the musical heritage of Sibelius alive, to make his music more easily available to all who wanted to perform it, and to promote research in the life and music of Sibelius. The goals of the new Society were ambitious. In stead of the large variety of initiatives included in the first activity plan the Society however preferred concentrating on a limited number of big efforts. The Sibelius monument in Helsinki (1967), created by the sculptress Eila Hiltunen, was a major enterprise. On the initiative and support of the Society Ainola, the home of Sibelius in Järvenpää, was purchased by the Finnish State and opened to the public as a museum. Since then it has become a popular and also internationally well-known tourist attraction. The International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, taking place every five years, belongs to the most renowned musical events in the world. Publication of the critical edition of the collected works of Sibelius, Jean Sibelius Works, the biggest research projects in the field of music ever launched in Finland, creates a thoroughly researched and easily accessible basis for performing the music of Sibelius both today and in the future. By awarding its Sibelius medal the Society wants to give public recognition to the work for the benefit of Sibelius' music done by individuals and organizations. |