Pro Kaustinen has elected cultural producer, FM Silja Heikkilä. Heikkilä has previously worked as a producer of the Rauma Pitsiviikko and Satasoitto festivals and as the executive director of the Satakunta Youth Clubs Association. In addition to his degree in cultural production, he has studied at the University of Turku in the Master's programme in cultural heritage and has written a doctoral thesis on the subject. She currently lives in Rovaniemi, but is moving to Kaustinen when her work starts.
Silja Heikkilä originally thought of studying to be a teacher, but the path led her to Helsinki to study cultural production and from there to event production. Heikkilä has worked at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in two summers: as a waitress in the 1990s and as a stage manager in the 2000s.
– Event production brings together many different actors: callers, technical staff, financiers, policy makers and so on. Working with very different needs is a creative and, I think, very rewarding job. You have to understand different needs and to create for them enriches your life. And you learn something new all the time!
Heikkilä will take up his post in June. This year's festival will be led by Acting Executive Director Minna Huuskosella, who will remain in office until the end of July.
A total of 12 people applied for the post of Executive Director.
– Applicants had a wide range and variety of skills. Silja convinced us with her broad and varied experience and her willingness to commit to Kaustinen, the festivals and their development," says Pro Kaustinen's Chairman of the Board. Sirpa Lahti.