Pessi Levanto

Pessi Levanto (b.1973) has scored over thirty full-length feature films, the same amount of short films and documentaries plus miscellaneous spots and commercials. He has released seven records of his own and played in and done arrangements for dozens of others. His works range from symphony orchestras to big bands, from chamber ensembles to a cappella groups, from rock bands to brass septets.

Pessi is one of the most prominent film composers in Finland and is currently gaining foothold with his work internationally. His wide knowledge of both classical and jazz/rock genres gives him a versatile and personal way of writing. His style is often light and delicate, colourfully orchestrated and carefully crafted with old-school craftsmanship utilizing modern techniques.

Apart from the film world, Pessi is a sought-after arranger and has written dozens of orchestral arrangements for all main Finnish orchestras. A big project in this field was, for example, Classical Trancelations with the Helsinki Philharmonics, sold-out stadium shows of orchestral versions of club music classics.

Pessi has also written chart-topping pop songs for Japanese and Korean markets for such well-known artists as Arashi, Sexy Zone, TVXQ, and Afterschool.