Name: Heli Hartikainen
Nationality: Finnish
Occupation: Saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, improviser, sound artist
Current Release: Heli Hartikainen's CHRONOVARIATIONS, featuring Esther Calderón Morales on live electronics and programming, is scheduled for release on September 6th 2024 via Multiphonic Works.

If you enjoyed this Heli Hartikainen interview and would like to know more about her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram.

For a deeper dive, we recommend our Heli Hartikainen interview about improvisation.



My main instrument is the legendary Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone from 1968, which I was lucky enough to find back in 2015 when I started studying for my Bachelor’s at Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts, Helsinki. It’s a beautiful, agile, and trustworthy instrument that I’ve really built a deep relationship with; I can always produce the exact sounds I hear in my head.

Over time, I’ve gathered a nice pack of vintage instruments: my alto saxophone is a Strasser Marigaux Lemaire from 1953, and my soprano saxophone is a Conn from 1928. As for my clarinets, they aren’t as old since aging doesn’t benefit them in the same way, but they’re still carefully selected and finely crafted Buffet Crampon instruments.

Choosing an instrument is an interesting mix of 50% knowledge and 50% feeling— after all, every wind instrument is somewhat unique, and you have to find the one that fits you best, along with the right combination of mouthpiece, reed, and ligature. For me, the instrument’s responsiveness is crucial, along with its vibrant resonance, which is essential for creating the detailed, nuanced soundscapes I strive for.

About other tools, then: in my new album CHRONOVARIATIONS I am using electromagnetic actuator loudspeakers attached to a variety of scrap metal sheets and pipes, transforming them into sound sources. The sound of the saxophone is channeled to those resonating pieces creating a spatial extension of my saxophone. The dynamic interplay between the acoustic saxophone and the wild rattling and rumbling resonance of the actuators and metal objects has been incredibly inspiring. It has pushed my playing into new dimensions and offered a fascinating exploration of sound and sonic arts.

A musician-specialized physiotherapist once told me I have a “typical saxophonist scoliosis.” That’s horrifying and twistedly beautiful at the same time; I’ve literally grown together with this instrument, to the point of having my spine twist around it to maintain the playing position eternally. All the countless hours of practice, the obsession to get better and better eventually creating those physical cues that are visible in my body.

The instrument is definitely an extension of me and my body. It’s big and heavy, and I’ve grown used to carrying its weight both literally and figuratively. It gives me a voice, a channel, an outlet. I somehow get a bit emotional even talking about it.

The connection and symbiosis between me and my instrument is so deep, and while it’s beautiful, it’s also a little intimidating how much it’s become a part of who I am.