Ilkka Taneli Kuusisto (born 26 April 1933) is a Finnish opera composer, conductor, choirmaster and organist.

[1] He studied at the Sibelius Academy (now part of the University of the Arts Helsinki), qualifying as an organist in 1954, and a music teacher in 1958.

[1] Kuusisto started his career as a church organist, working in that role for nearly two decades.

[1] Kuusisto's composition repertoire covers a broad range of genres, from stage and film music, to jazz, choral works, and opera, the last of which he is the best-known.

[1] In 1984, Kuusisto received the Pro Finlandia [fi] medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland.