Tuomas Biography

Zodiac: Capricorn
Vices: Coffee & Barclay
Equipment: KORG OASYS, Karma, N364, Triton, Trinity

Biography:
I was born Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen into a family of four, on Christmas Day 1976. Since then my home has been a small city of Kitee in North Carelia, Finland. Music came into my life at the age of 6 when my mother made me take piano lessons in a music school of Carelia, followed by clarinet and tenor saxophone studies some years later. Having completed the music theory classes together with final exams in the instruments, I got my graduation diploma at the age of 15, the same year I took off to Kansas for a year as a foreign exchange student. Ashamed to say, I haven't touched neither the clarinet nor the sax since the military band in '96-'97.

In September 1992 my host family took me to see Metallica and Guns 'N Roses in Kansas City, a concert that would have a huge impact on my musical influences and, well, life altogether. Returning from the States in '93, I was asked to join a band of my mates' called "Dismal Silence". It was soon followed by Nattvindens Gråt & Darkwoods My Betrothed. These bands were mainly the brainchildren of my high school friend, Teemu Kautonen, who I have a lot to thank for, as he mentored me into the world of songwriting and lyrics. After some years in those groups, the idea of Nightwish was born in the fall of 1996.

Besides Nightwish, some of my past side projects / additional musical adventures include Sethian, For My Pain, Kotiteollisuus, Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus, Silentium (producer) & Indica (producer).

I have a special passion for film music, but when it comes to enjoying music, it's always the song that matters the most, not the genre. Writing an actual score for a movie is something I'd love to try one day.

My aim in the band is to become a more balanced human being, friend and co-worker through creating music and stories, to give the listeners a place to escape to and to create their own universes, and to simply have a wondrous time with this bunch! Nightwish is my soul image, my retreat, trash can & life's work all rolled in one. The latest album Imaginaerum takes the long ride to a whole new level once again, but I do believe there's still a long way to go on this roller coaster ride. The ride will last as long as there is imagination, beauty and darkness left in the world. Thank you everybody for giving them to me, for listening and for caring.

Top 5 Tuomas:

Albums
1. The Gladiator soundtrack / Hans Zimmer - Lisa Gerrard
2. The Village soundtrack / James Newton Howard
3. The Black Album / Metallica
4. Wildhoney / Tiamat
5. Tears Laid in Earth / The 3rd and the Mortal

Songs
1. "Walking in the Air" / Howard Blake
2. "Fields of Coral" / Vangelis
3. "One" / Metallica
4. "Why So Lonely" / The 3rd and the Mortal
5. "Hetken tie on kevyt" / Tehosekoitin

Movies
1. The Village
2. Dances with Wolves
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Dead Poets' Society
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Books
1. Lord of the Rings / Tolkien
2. The Talisman / King-Straub
3. Leaves of Grass / Whitman
4. The Farseer Trilogy / Hobb
5. Moominland Midwinter / Jansson

+ Everything by Philip Pullman, Alexandre Dumas, Edgar Allan Poe, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Astrid Lindgren, John Connolly, Jules Verne, Esko Valtaoja, Patrick Rothfuss, Henry David Thoreau, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child...

Hobbies
1. Music
2. Hiking & fishing & wilderness
3. Disney
4. NHL hockey
5. Books & movies

Food
1. Curry
2. Sushi
3. Yuletide treats
4. My dad's false morel soup
5. Tuna out of the can

Drink
1. Coffee
2. Red wine
3. Single malt
4. Lemon water
5. Dr. Pepper

Miscellaneous interests
1. MacGyver
2. Mauri Kunnas
3. Orlando
4. Australia
5. Laurel and Hardy

Source: http://www.nightwish.com/en/band/members?id=2