Sanni Orasmaa is a vocalist, composer, and creative guide whose work bridges music, nature, and personal expression. Through  SoundByNature®, Sanni offers performances, recordings, and immersive teaching that invite participants to explore sound as a living connection between self and surroundings.

Raised in Finland’s vast forests, Sanni’s artistry is deeply shaped by the landscapes around her—open spaces, shifting light, and the quiet intensity of seasonal change. Whether composing, performing, or guiding others in their creative practice, she approaches sound much like a gardener, tending to both structure and spontaneity.

At the heart of her work is listening—to music, to place, to the stories that emerge when we pay attention. From intimate concerts to reflective workshops, Sanni creates spaces where sound, silence, and memory intertwine, offering moments that feel both deeply familiar and entirely new.

Boats forming a half-circle around the midsummer bonfire, hands steadying the edges, holding the boats together. Songs echoing across the water, passed down through generations, familiar voices rising above the chorus—some still here, some long gone…

Great-grandparents’ smoke sauna
Grandmother’s kitchen garden
Birch trees
Bilberries
Cold lake
Calling of a loon
Grand piano and microphone
Raging jazz room
Clock ticking in tupa

A Finnish jazz vocalist, composer, and educator with over 30 years of international experience, Sanni specializes in improvisation, creative voice use, and music pedagogy, working across performance, teaching, and research.

Sanni studied jazz voice at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria, and has performed worldwide, from New York’s jazz clubs to European concert halls and festivals. She has worked in theater and film, including productions at the Munich Residenz Theater. As an educator, she has taught at institutions such as the Munich University of Music, Tampere University, and The Brooklyn Conservatory in NYC. She has also presented at international conferences, from Columbia University to the Royal College of Music in Sweden.

Her work extends beyond traditional performance, exploring the connection between voice, nature, and creative expression. She is the founder of SoundByNature®, a platform dedicated to artistic and educational projects that bridge music, improvisation, and environmental awareness.

• Panevezys Jazz Festival – Panevezys, Lithuania (1989)

• July Jazz Festival – Amherst, MA, USA (1996, 1998)

• Porgy and Bess – Vienna, Austria (1996)

• Kennedy Center – Washington, DC, USA (2000) – Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Award Concerts

• Pori Jazz Festival – Pori, Finland (2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010)

• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music – NYC, USA (2004) – Sketches for Dunbar and Johnson

• Knitting Factory – NYC, USA (2004) – with Charlie Hunter, Bobby Previte, DJ Olive

• Tenri Cultural Center – NYC, USA (2004) – Kirk Nurock’s “Cross-Species” Works

• Munich Residenz Theater – Germany (2009-2011) – Leichtes Spiel by Botho Strauß, Alkestis by Raoul Schrott

• Munich Philharmonie Hall – Germany (2009)

• Grand Theatre Luxembourg – Luxembourg (2010) – Drums and Dance, Rituals

• Tampere Jazz Happening – Finland (2012)

• Kerava Jazz Festival – Finland (2013)

• UMO Jazz Orchestra – Savoy Theater – Finland (2018) – Live recording for YLE

• Raahe Jazz Festival – Finland (2024)

• Munich Isar Philharmonie – Germany (2024)

Additional performances across the USA, Europe, and Asia, including Sweden, China, Greece, Ukraine, Denmark, and more.

• M.A.R.S. – M.A.R.S. (1996)

• Boston Promenade – Walking The Big Duck (1997)

• Clay Giberson – The Upper Road (2002)

• Mika Pohjola – The Music of Mika Pohjola (2002)

• RinneRadio – On (2007)

• Sanni Orasmaa – Laulun Lapsi (2010)

• SLOMotive – Arrival (2012)

• Sanni Orasmaa – Seasons (2018)

• Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Grant – Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

• American Scandinavian Society Artist Grant

• Arts Council of Finland Artist Grant

• Finnish Music Foundation (MES) Grant

• George Gruntz – Documentary by Werner Zeindler (2007)

• Mayim Mayim – Film by Jakov Sedlar (2009)

• Sommer in Orange – Roxy Film & Odeon Pictures (2011)

• Luonnon aika – Rentouttavia hetkiä luonnossa(2018) – Metsäkustannus

• Luontolaulu – Minunkin sisälläni soi (2019) – Metsäkustannus / Karttakeskus

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