Otto Rissanen

Otto Rissanen is a Finnish composer, guitarist, and performance maker based in Rotterdam. His music resembles a mix of the Nordic jazz idiom, minimalism, and contemporary classical, with a Björk-ishly playful instrumentation—all laced with a Lynchian touch of the surreal, absurd, and unease. Drawing his inspiration from philosophy, human (and Finnish) nature, and eccentric historical characters, his work contemplates individualism in a social context and the tragicomedy we call life. Whether you enjoy being soothed, slapped, or surprised—you’re likely to encounter it all.

These principles manifest in works like de Construct (staged music/theatre/film; album forthcoming 2026), the experimental music-theatre piece A Pickle for the Knowing Ones (in development), and sound design for the dance performance Wrapping/Identity. His M.C. Escher-inspired cello quartet A Tide (2025) was praised as “impossibly masterful” (desibeli.net), while the EP The Most Hateful and Angry F*cking Lullabies (2024) presents disturbed lullabies for music box and conventional instruments. Rissanen studied jazz composition and guitar at Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam, following earlier guitar studies at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki.

Rissanen’s practice lives in the ambiguous space between music and theatre. For him, music is more than sound—it’s a space where action, image, and presence are composed with equal weight. Think of an odd and absurd, stage-obsessed offspring of David Lynch and Yorgos Lanthimos though expressed through music.