HEHKU
Hehku is a Nordic ensemble and artist´s collective focusing on early and contemporary repertoire.
The name Hehku derives from Finnish and means "glow", "gleaming" and "aflame", which mirrors the purpose of the ensemble; creating musical experiences colored by spark, light and vitality.
Starting January 2023, Hehku will be Artist in Residence at the Copenhagen Music House, as part of their new initiative VÆKST.
Hehku´s members are Aliisa Neige Barriére (conductor/violin), Christina af Klinteberg Herresthal (mezzo soprano), Isabelle Bania (violin/viola), Michael Grolid (viola), Theodor Lyngstad (cello), Kaja Marie Andersen (flute) og Claire Moncharmont (harp).
In May 2022 Hehku performed the piece ”Songs from Evening Land” by Per Nørgård for the composer himself in a concert celebrating his 90th birthday. The result of a cooperation with 3CSound and Millimeter Productions - a 30 minute film in honor of Nørgård´s spirit and music - premiered at Vester Vov Vov Biograf in cooperation with Art Music DK and The Copenhagen Music House, and had its Swedish premiere in Gothenburg Concert House (Stenhammarsalen). The Norwegian premiere will take place during the Ultima Festival in Oslo September 14th.
Upcoming projects include the world premiere of Aya Yoshida´s ”SUS" at the Copenhagen Music House during the VÆKST Festival 26th of November, as well as a program celebrating and contextualizing the poet Edith Södergran with music by Nikki Martin, Heta Aho and Frederik Zeuthen. The ensemble is also preparing a baroque program on historical instruments, set to premiere at the Copenhagen Music House in December 2023.
Our Story
Hehku was founded by Barrière and Herresthal in the summer of 2021, with the purpose of assembling a group of like minded musicians with a driven artistic vision.
"Songs from Evening Land" by Per Nørgård inspired the structure of the ensemble, both because of the wish to work with this particular piece, but also because the combination of the traditional string trio with harp, flute and voice, allows for a wide range of colors, sound effects and mystery.
In their current concert programming, Hehku combines Per Nørgård with music by composers such as Kaija Saariaho and Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, with the purpose of portraying Nørgård in light of the development that has taken place, both in music and society in general, since the birth of "Songs from Evening Land" in 1956.
Hehku is passionate about being a driving force in commissioning new works and working closely with living composers on existing works. The ensemble also aspires to combine contemporary music with earlier repertoire in interesting and colorful programming.
Hehku is based in Copenhagen (/Oslo/Gothenburg/Helsinki) and focuses on Nordic repertoire, but in an international context. This is natural, both due to the ensemble´s connection to France, but also because the world of classical music is, has been and will always be global. The composers we consider to be the definition of Nordic music also have strong roots in other countries and musical traditions. For instance, both Nørgård and Saariaho have had artistic milestones in Paris, while Thorvaldsdóttir currently is based in London.
Thus is our ambition to explore the North in its encounter with the rest of the world, as well as to show that intimate, vocal chamber music - both early and contemporary - can provide unique and poetic musical universes, which prove meaningful in our time.