We are all singers
Many of us feel uneasy about singing. Yet singing touches daily life more than most of us notice. A song uses the same breath, voice, and attention as every conversation, every meeting, and every time we speak up.
SoundByNature starts with the person, not the performance. Singing becomes practice in trusting oneself while listening to others. That shapes not only how we sound, but how we live.
SoundByNature starts with the person, not the performance. Singing becomes practice in trusting oneself while listening to others. That shapes not only how we sound, but how we live.
A song uses the same breath, voice, and attention as every conversation, every meeting, and every time we speak up.
Working with nature
In architecture, the idea is not new. Alvar Aalto designed the Paimio Sanatorium so that the building itself would help patients recover. Frank Lloyd Wright built Fallingwater over a waterfall, and the sound of the water became part of the house. At SoundByNature, the room, the sound, and the relationship with the natural world have supported the creative practice for ten years, since its beginning in 2016.
The practice
SoundByNature's practice includes vocal coaching, concerts, speaking engagements, and publications. It is anchored in a southern Finland forest studio with outdoor activities, botanical work, and a workshop for candles and crafts. The work draws on research in voice, acoustics, nature, health, and Nordic singing traditions.
Strong back, wide sight. Northern lights in your heart. At SoundByNature, the room, the sound, and the relationship with the natural world are part of the creative process.
About Sanni
Vocalist, author, and SoundByNature founder Sanni Orasmaa bridges the worlds of international jazz and the Finnish landscape. Based in New York City from 2000 to 2007 before living in Helsinki, and eventually settling in Suomusjärvi in 2019, Sanni has toured and recorded with artists including the Charlie Hunter & Bobby Previte Duo, Kirk Nurock’s Cross-Species ensemble, and composer George Gruntz’s Magic of a Flute orchestra. Her work has been featured on NPR’s JazzSet with Branford Marsalis and PRI’s The Jazz Singers with Al Jarreau. Through SoundByNature, she produces music and literature, including the album Seasons and the books Luonnon aika and Luontolaulu (with Metsäkustannus).
To learn more, please visit sanniorasmaa.com.
Get in touch
For lessons, workshops, performances, lectures, and visits, please write to info@soundbynature.com.
SoundByNature is based at Forest Studio Mustikkarinne in Suomusjärvi, halfway between Helsinki and Turku. It is Sanni Orasmaa’s home and workspace by Lake Enäjärvi, a living landscape that people have inhabited for over 6,000 years.