Jean Sibelius was born on December 8, 1865, in Hameenlinna, Finland. He began focusing seriously on music around age fourteen and decided to pursue a career in it by age twenty. Sibelius studied at the Helsinki Music Academy from 1885 to 1889, a school later renamed the Sibelius Academy in his honor. He learned composition under Martin Wegelius, Albert Becker, and Karl Goldmark. Originally, he hoped to become a violin virtuoso but realized his violin training had started too late to achieve that goal. Between 1889 and 1891, Sibelius studied and composed in Berlin and Vienna. He also spent a year in Italy from 1900 to 1901. He is best known for his seven symphonies, which are noted for their adventurous chord patterns and use of complex melodies. His works often feature the Dorian Mode and polyphony, which are frequently mentioned by music scholars. Though he did not become a violin virtuoso, Sibelius wrote many important pieces for the instrument. His Violin Concerto in D Minor from 1904 is considered one of the most challenging and impressive violin concertos. The third movement of this concerto is sometimes called a “polonaise for polar bears.” Despite some harsh criticism calling his work "weak" or "weird," his music has remained popular in concerts and orchestras. Sibelius faced health problems during his life, including surgery for throat cancer in 1907. He passed away from a brain hemorrhage on September 20, 1957, in Ainola, Finland. Though critics were once harsh, he is remembered with respect today; the Sibelius Monument was built in 1967, ten years after his death. He once remarked, "Pay no attention to what critics say. No statue has ever been put up to a critic."