Jan-Emil Kuisma

Meet the Musicians

They called from the Norrlands Opera in 2006 and asked if I could come up and help out in the orchestra since they were short a section leader. The answer wasn’t actually obvious when they later asked if I wanted to stay on permanently. I already had a good job—with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Lotta, my wife, was a music teacher and knew that a job was available in Umeå… Maybe we should give a different life up here a try anyway? I could be home more; maybe there would be shorter lines at the music school, shorter distances to the things we wanted to do—Umeå really is a great city for families with children. We decided to give it a try. And we stayed.

Being a choir director is exactly that—you lead your choir. As a choir director, you’re also the one who’s supposed to sing the solo, but for me, that doesn’t happen very often.

Rainer Kuisma, my dad, is my musical role model. An incredibly serious and dedicated musician! A percussionist who has accomplished so much and was a pioneer in his field. He has had countless pieces dedicated to him and has performed as a soloist in many places. He turns 90 this year. Playing the violin and singing in a choir as a child—that was a kind of tradition in our family, a foundation that my siblings and I grew up with.

I have lots of wonderful, fun, and memorable moments from my years in the symphony orchestra. The outdoor opera *Elektra* was, of course, special, and I also remember how exciting it was when we were invited to perform excerpts from Mats Larsson Gothé’s *Poet and Prophetess* at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

My hope is that we, as an orchestra, will continue to grow and find a new music director going forward. I think it’s important to have a music director who can lead us and serve as our public face.

All orchestral music is fun to play! The best part of my job as a musician is playing! Playing concerts—yes, but also practicing.