Heljä Räty

Flute, sub-principal

I took up music as a hobby playing the recorder at the Jyväskylä Conservatory until Juho Alvas took me on as a flute student. I also followed my father to wind band rehearsals – first to mind the door and to pass out the sheet music, but later to play the 2nd oboe part on my flute. Because of these early experiences, ensemble playing and orchestral music have always been the most important for me. I also learned some of the key skills of a professional musician at an early age: listening to great stories and waiting patiently.

I spent my summers at music camps in the 1970s and 1980s like almost all budding professional musicians do. I have known many of my current colleagues since those days. After upper secondary school, I went to study with Herbert Weissberg in Vienna and then returned to study with Mikael Helasvuo at the Sibelius Academy. I was swept up in the newly founded Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in Helsinki. I had the occasional gig playing with the Tapiola Sinfonietta in its early days, and later I obtained a permanent appointment here.

As an orchestral musician, you find yourself doing all sorts of things: every week and every year is different from the previous one. You never know what kind of programme and which concert will be the best. Ensemble playing, orchestral sound and group dynamics are a magic cauldron where everyone plays a vital part, but there is no single correct way of being a musician. Multiple spices give the soup real flavour.