Salmenhaara studied composition with Joonas Kokkonen at the Sibelius Academy until 1963, and then continued his studies with György Ligeti in Vienna.^[2] Salmenhaara then studied musicology, aesthetics and theoretical philosophy at the University of Helsinki,^[2] and earned his PhD in 1970 with a doctoral thesis about the works of the composer Ligeti.^[3] He served as lecturer (1966–1975) and associate professor (1975–2002) of musicology at the University of Helsinki and was also the leading writer on classical music in Finland. In addition, he served as chairman of the Society of Finnish Composers (1974–1976) and of the Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras (1974–1978).