Artists 2017

Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä (born 1986) is a multi-faceted violinist, making her a popular choice for concertmaster or to perform chamber music. Besides performing as a violinist, she focuses on developing classical music culture, for instance in her role as artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Music Festival in the summer of 2017. Read more

First-prize winner of the 2015 International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki, Canadian-American violinist Christel Lee became the first North American winner in its fifty-year history. Read more

Catharina’s status as one of Norway’s most promising classical musicians and her appearances through Norwegian television and radio broadcast programs has made her well known in her home country.In 2012, Catharina was appointed as the youngest female 1.Concertmaster of The Norwegian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Read more

A Japanese violist Aine Suzuki was born in Tokyo in 1984. She worked as a Co-Principal Viola in Orquesta de la Comunidad Valenciana Palau de Les Arts where she performed with world famous conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly and Valery Gergiev. Read more

Estonian conductor, violinist and violist Andres Kaljuste is currently studying orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Atso Almila and Hannu Lintu. He is also guest-principal viola of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Read more

Jaani Helander (born 1989) graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 2013 after studying with Martti Rousi and has been a member of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra since then. He also teaches cello at the Sibelius Academy. Read more

Lauri Kankkunen (born 1990), a native of Lempäälä, Finland, took up playing the cello at the age of five and went on to study at the Tampere Conservatory. Read more

Pianist Pauli Jämsä (born 1990), native of Ylöjärvi, Finland, is known as a musician with a broad array of skills, ranging from solo work to chamber music, lied, and opera.  Read more

A laureate of the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels, Roope Gröndahl is one of the most sought after young pianists in Finland. Read more

Sofia Ahjoniemi (born 1984) took up playing the accordion at the age of six. In 1998, she was admitted to the Junior Academy department of the Sibelius Academy to study with Heidi Velamo, and from 2004 she studied at the Sibelius Academy proper with teachers Matti Rantanen and Mika Väyrynen. Read more