Veli-Matti Puumala studied composition with Paavo Heininen at the Sibelius Acadmy from 1984 to 1993. His breakthrough came in 1993, when he was profiled at a concert during the Helsinki Biennale. His music is often played in Scandinavia and around Europe. Puumala’s writing frequently displays a complex fabric bristling with activity, beneath which are structures designed to produce clarity, drama and contrast. In 2005 he was appointed Professor of composition at the Sibelius Academy.