THE ARTIST:

 

Carita´s performing musicianship has been influenced by the classical discipline she was brought up in since 9 years old . But her personal style in playing and singing were also much influenced by artists like Bill Evans, Jan Johansson, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Alice Babs, Joan Baez, Miriam Makeba, José Feliciano, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Josh White and other older blues artists, flamenco singers and guitarists, theatre work and actors. Her performing is mostly connected to her own music making: composing and arranging.

 

   2010 – 2017:

       This period of performing mainly her own works is dominated by four main projects: 

• the releasing of her CD ”My Diary of Songs”, on  which she goes back to her roots as a singer-songwriter and presenting the whole material in a concert at the Alexander Theatre in Helsinki 2010,

• the realisation of the musical stage performance ”UNDER – Därför lever vi!”, her songs to the poems of Wislawa Szymborska, where she performs as singer//musician/actress together with her friends Martina Roos, Tom Salomonsen and Niklas Häggblom (2012),

• her sacral suite ”VARDE LJUS!” to poems by Susanne Ringell in 2014, where she participates as musical leader, pianist and guitarist in the performances of this large work,

• in 2017 starting a co-operation with harpist Lily-Marlene Puusepp (who plays already on the CD ”My Diary of Songs) under the heading”Shimmering Moments”, Carita´s songs and also folk music- and baroque-inspired works for solo harp performed by the duo, this being a long-time dream combination coming true: singing to the accompaniment of a harp!

 

    2004- 2009:

• In 2004 EMI re-released her two first albums, ”We are what we do” and ”Toinen levy” as a double  CD, ”Jos tänään tuntis´ huomisen”( ”If today you knew tomorrow”). On the CDs are also released some additional material.  Her record releasing performance was positively reviewed in the news-papers.

• Co-operation as a composer with the Glims & Gloms Dance Theatre with the ballet ”Näkki”. Two years later (2006) she was on stage with some fellow musicians  performing the coreography of Tuomo Railo, ”Suurperhe” ( The Grand Family)  at the National Opera during the Helsinki Festival. ( Helsingin Juhlaviikot)

• The same year she started  performing solo under the heading ”Nainen, piano ja kitara”, (A Woman, a Piano and a Guitar) with her own songs, but also with her own versions of brasilian, jazz a.o. material.

• Also she continued her performances with her duo partner, double bass player Teppo Hauta-aho.

• Her co-operation with actresses Tiia Louste and Tiina Weckström  continued in 2008 with a new performance, ”Paronin sylissä istunut” with a.o. Kaj Chydenius´ music to Finnish poetry.

 

   1994 – 2003:​

• In 1994 Carita and Teppo Hauta-aho released their second Duo record, the CD ”DUO!”.The duo was also performing quite frequently with a very broad repertoir from pop to jazz, from folk songs to classical music and also their own music, of course. In 1990 they had performed in New York during the International Bass Convention. In 1998 and 2002 they were touring Japan.

• In 1995 Carita co-operated with actresses Tiia Louste and Tiina Weckström in a project  with Eeva Dahlgren´s songs in Finnish,”Kuka sysyttää tähdet?”,  arranging the music and leading the small band in the première at the Tampere Theatre Festival. After that the production went on tour.

• Carita was to continue the co-operation a.o. in a duo-production with Tiia Louste as musician, singer and actress in “Köydet irti”, a staged story around the songs of Lasse Mårtensson in 1998.

• Until 1995 Carita  performed  with her group Players Unlimited after which the co-operation ended, much due to her large composing  tasks:  a new musical in 1994 (”Blyton Rock”, 1995) and a chamber opera ”The Lunatic Express” (1992-95; première Febr. 1996 in the National Opera), composing and leading the music in the play”Armfelt” (2002 in the City Theatre of Helsinki)  and  her musical ”KICK”(2003) in the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki.( book by Marina Meinander).

 

   The 80´s :

• The decade started with releasing her and duo-partner Teppo Hauta-aho´s  LP “Two Faces” in 1980 and ended with releasing a record (both LP and CD) together with the group “Players Unlimited”,” In Time of Growing” in 1990. A TV production was recorded of the group in 1991 under the heading “Jäätyneet kyyneleet”(Frozen Tears). The Duo was touring all around Finland and also in Sweden with their “Music without boarders”. Hauta-aho also played in her group Players Unlimited  since the middle of the 80´s, playing on festivals and giving concerts.

• In 1981 Carita gave her debut concert as a classical pianist in the Sibelius Academy Concert Hall. This was going to be the start of a long career as a piano lector in the same institution ( since 1983).

• In 1984 she released her record “Aquamarin” with her compositions to Finnish-Swedish poems. She was also performing in concerts and on TV with this material.

• Together with actor Dick Idman and Teppo Hauta-aho she was performing hers and author Inkeri Pitkäranta´s  music drama for children “Kuun kultainen  sävel” (  in Swedish:”Månens gyllene klang”) for many years during this decade, both in Finland and Sweden.

 

   The 70´s:

• Carita became nationally known after the release of her record “We are what we do ”in 1973 and more so after representing Finland 1974 in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Keep me warm” by Eero Koivistoinen. Before this she had already been performing for some years together with her friend Marianne Nyman ( later Wiik) in clubs, on TV and radio etc. They also participated in 1970 in the Danny Show touring Finland. Marianne and her later husband Mikael Johansson (later Wiik) also played an important part on her two first records ( “Toinen levy” in 1974) as musicians and Mikael as the producer.

• In 1977 Carita started her important collaboration with the already then legendary double bass player and composer Teppo Hauta-aho. This duo was going to continue their performing together  until 2016. Until then they had performed in Scandinavia, USA and Japan with their broad, boarderless concept of music.