Aulis Sallinen (09/04/1935), a Finnish composer, born in Salmi. He studied under Aarre Merikanto and Joonas Kokkonen. His early musical experience was playing the violin. Improvising ( including jazz) on the piano led him to write his first compositions as a teenager. After studying with Aare Merikanto and Joonas Kokkonen at the Sibelius Academy, he joined the staff there. He was Administrator of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1960-69); Secretary and member of the Board (1958-73), then Chairman (1971-73) of the Finnish Composers' Society; member of the board of TEOSTO (Finnish copyright society) from 1970-84, then Chairman from 1988-90; he also served for several years on the Board of the Finnish National Opera.
In 1983 he shared the Wihuri International Sibelius prize with Penderecki. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Music Academy and Honorary Doctor of the Universities of Helsinki and Turku. The Finnish Government made him Professor of Arts for life in 1981 - the first appointment of its kind, thus making it possible for him to devote all of his time to composing.
His extensive catalogue of compositions has focused strongly on conventional forms and has at its core seven symphonies and five operas which have been performed world-wide. The most recent are his opera The Palace (1995) with libretto by Hans Magnus Enzensberger and Irene Dische and his 7th Symphony: The Dreams of Gandalf which was premiered by the Göteborg Symfoniker at the end of November 1996.