Finnish composer, conductor, and oboist Kari Juhani Tikka passed away on Oct. 17, 2022.

Born on April 13, 1946 in Siilinjärvi, he received conducting classes from Jorma Panula and studied musical composition under the direction of Joonas Kokkonen and Einojuhani Rautavaara at the Sibelius Academy. Tikka specialized in various musical fields encompassing chamber music, orchestral music, church music, choral and solo songs, and operas.

One of his most outstanding works was an opera on the life of Martin Luther, which has been performed in various parts of the world such as the United States, Finland and Germany, and even in Luther’s own church in Wittenberg.

Tikka was also an outstanding oboist in the Helsinki City Orchestra between 1965 and 1969; he also performed with the Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Finnish National Opera. He was a conductor at the Tampere Theatre, the Finnish National Opera, the Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Stockholm Opera.

In 1986, he founded the Vivo Symphony Orchestra and was its director until 1996. Between 2006 and 2011 he stood out as artistic director of the Organ Night Festival and Aaria. His quality and his love for his work earned him several awards, including the Cultural of the Church in 2000 and recognition from the Lutheran Culture Foundation in 2013.