Teachers
Here you will find presentations for the teachers 2025.
Violin

Silva Koskela
Silva Koskela is a lecturer of violin at the Tampere Conservatory and also an active chamber musician. As a violinist with the Tempera Quartet, Silva has given concerts not only in Finland (e.g. Kuhmo Chamber Music, Helsinki Festival, Naantali and Turku Music Festivals) but also in most European countries, the USA, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The quartet has recorded Sibelius’ complete string quartet output (BIS) and Nordgren’s last string quartets (Alba).
Silva has performed as a soloist with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, the Tampere Conservatory Chamber Orchestra and the wind players of PIRAMK. Silva started her violin studies at the Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory with Juha Kangas. Anatoly Melnikov has also been an important teacher. Silva has studied at the Sibelius Academy (Master of Music 2002), the Royal College of Music, London (MMus in Chamber Music Studies 2000), the Utrecht Music Academy and the Edsberg Music School. Silva has also studied baroque violin with Kreeta-Maria Kentala.

Mikael Stoor
Mikael Stoor graduated from the Royal College of Music in London in 2015 (Master of Performance) with Radu Blidari. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Institut supérieur des arts de Toulouse, under the tutelage of Blagoja Dimcevski and Olivier Pons. Mikael teaches violin at Espoo Music Institute and Musik- och kulturskolan Sandels, where he is also the conductor of the string orchestra. In addition to his teaching, Mikael is also an active player in various orchestras. He has played with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lappeenranta City Orchestra, Kuopio City Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Saimaa Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin c/o Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a chamber musician in Finland and abroad. Currently, Mikael is completing his knowledge and versatility by studying baroque violin at the Novia University of Applied Sciences.

Paula Sundqvist
Paula Sundqvist has been working as 3rd leader at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) since 2014. From 2006 to 2013 she was working at Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and before that for a few years at Finnish National Opera Orchestra. Paula has been leader at Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra and guest leader at Tapiola Sinfonietta, Lapland Chamber Orchestra and Avant! Chamber Orchestra, among others. She has also performed with the O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra throughout Europe. In spring 2021, Paula was soloist with RSO in the Finnish premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Two Serenades for Violin and Orchestra, his last work. As a chamber musician, Paula has performed in various ensembles at festivals in Finland and abroad over the years.
Paula has studied at the Sibelius Academy (Master of Music 2004) with Prof. Kaija Saariketu, at the Basel Music Academy with Prof. Raphael Oleg and at the Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory with Djanik Alekperov. She has also completed her studies at master classes with Mi-Kyung Lee, among others.

Ahti Valtonen
Ahti Valtonen graduated in violin from the Sibelius Academy in 1986. In addition to his violin studies, he has studied orchestral conducting at numerous conducting courses. He has worked as a violinist at Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Kouvola City Orchestra. He is currently a lecturer of violin at Käpylä Music Institute, where he also conducts the orchestra. During the summer season, Ahti Valtonen conducts orchestras and gives violin courses at various music camps.

Juho Valtonen
Juho Valtonen is currently working as 2nd leader at the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam. Valtonen studied at Sibelius Academy and University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, from which he graduated with honourable mentions in 2022. Valtonen has worked as a guest leader in Finland and abroad, for example at Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has performed in several European countries in various ensembles and plays a wide range of genres, from jazz clubs to the premieres of contemporary music concerts at the Arnold Schönberg Centre. With his violin duo, Valtonen has performed abroad and at various events around Finland and has been a guest teacher at Lahti Conservatory and Music Institute Juvenalia in Espoo.
Viola

Rémi Moingeon
Rémi Moingeon began his musical journey on the violin through the Suzuki method with Micheline Delage. The turning point came at the age of 18, when he met Claude Ducrocq, solo viola of the Strasbourg Orchestra, who inspired him to change his instrument for the viola. Rémi began his studies at the Strasbourg Conservatoire and at the same time extended his education by studying musicology at the University of Strasbourg. He later began his studies at the Sibelius Academy under Jouko Mansnerus and Anna-Kreeta Gribajcevic.
Rémi has extensive and varied orchestral experience. He has played at Chilean National Opera, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Strasbourg National Orchestra and Picardy Orchestra. In 2010 he was appointed as principal viola with Lahti Symphony Orchestra and since 2014 he has been working as principal viola at Finnish National Opera Orchestra. Moingeon is also an avid chamber musician, having performed as a young soloist at the Yukari Tate Academy and with Jean Mouillère and Christophe Boulier, among others. Rémi performs regularly in Finland and abroad.
Since 2022, Rémi Moingeon has been teaching at the Sibelius Academy. In his pedagogical approach, he aims to create a symbiosis between instrumental training and aesthetic insights, and to create a holistic learning experience for his students.
Violoncello

Markus Hallikainen
Markus Hallikainen (b. 1987) works as a cello teacher at the Central Helsinki Music Institute. He is passionate about his work as a pedagogue and has actively led cello ensembles and coached young cello and chamber music groups. In addition to her teaching work, he has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Finland and abroad. He has also performed as soloist at Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Kuopio City Orchestra and Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra (Czech Republic). Markus was a finalist at the 2014 Turku Cello Competition and has been awarded second prize at a contemporary music competition in Switzerland. His career has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Niilo Helander Foundation, Pro Musica Foundation and others.
Markus graduated in 2017 from the soloist diploma course at the Zurich Music Academy (ZHdK) with Raphael Wallfisch as his teacher. He received a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for fine arts. In Finland, he has studied at the Sibelius Academy with teachers such as Hannu Kiiski, Arto Noras and Martti Rousi. He has completed his studies in master classes with several leading cellists.
He has worked extensively in the field of music and studied baroque cello in Switzerland with Martin Zeller. He has also played in several Finnish orchestras. Markus has been the artistic director of the Varkaus Summer Classical Festival since 2017. He plays on an instrument built by J. Derazey in 1875. Homepage: www.markushallikainen.com

Joona Pulkkinen
Cellist Joona Pulkkinen has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO), Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, La Monnaie Orchestra in Brussels and Tampere Philharmonic Orhcestra. He has performed at most of the major domestic music festivals and in many European countries and concert halls, including Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Auditorium Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In autumn 2022, Pulkkinen started working as a lecturer of cello music at the Sibelius Academy. Pulkkinen was selected as an artist in the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle programme in Paris under the direction of Gautier Capuçon for the 2015-2016 season. Pulkkinen’s other teachers include Gary Hoffman, Marko Ylönen and Pauli Heikkinen. Pulkkinen won 3rd prize at the National Turku Cello Competition in 2010. He was 1st soloist of the Tampere Philharmonic from 2014 to 2023.
Pulkkinen has also worked as a substitute principal violoncello with Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, RSO and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Joona Pulkkinen plays the rare Genoese Davide Pizzorno cello from 1769 and the Pierre Simon cello from 1855. Homepage: www.joonapulkkinen.com
Doublebass

Aapo Juutilainen
Aapo Juutilainen is working as principal at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his own orchestral work, Aapo also performs regularly with Uusinta Chamber Ensemble and Finnish Chamber Orchestra, and enjoys playing chamber music in various ensembles. Aapo also teaches at the Sibelius Academy. At Kälviä Music Camp Aapo is happy to teach doublebassists of all ages!
Flute

Jenny Villanen
Jenny Villanen (b. 1980) has been working as principal piccolo at the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (HKO) since autumn 2007. Before that, from 2003 to 2007, she worked full-time at the Guards Band (Kaartin soittokunta). In addition to his main work, Villanen has played also in several Finnish orchestras, including Finnish National Opera and Ballet, Kuopio City Orchestra, Kymi Sinfonietta, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra.
Jenny first played as a soloist at the age of 9. Väinö Tuominen’s Konserttipolka became a bravura number on summer tours of the Rauma Boy’s Orchestra in many European countries. In her later years, she has performed as a soloist both with HKO and the Guards Band, among others.
In addition to orchestral and chamber music, Jenny teaches both flute and piccolo. In her teaching, she believes it is important to see the individual needs and strengths of each student and to help them learn and develop in a variety of ways. Physical and mental well-being is also important to her: she also works as a personal trainer and nutrition coach, specialising in coaching musicians.
Oboe

Sanna Niemikunnas
Sanna Niemikunnas has graduated from the Sibelius Academy and has since then supplemented her studies with master classes. Sanna has been playing oboe and English horn at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra since 1988. Playing at Hyvinkää City Orchestra and Finnish Chamber Orchestra brings variety to orchestral playing. Teaching is close to Sanna’s heart. She currently teaches at Sibelius Academy, Helsinki Conservatoire and East Helsinki Music Institute. Kälviä Music Camp is a part of the summer; has been for over 20 years!
Clarinet

Niina Selin
Niina started playing the clarinet in 1985 in Rovaniemi, where her teachers included Esko Parikka. In 1994 she started at the Sibelius Academy, where she studied with Reijo Koskinen and Kullervo Kojo, graduating with a Master of Music degree in 2000. She further developed her understanding of clarinet playing with Joy Farrall in London in 2001-2002. Her current understanding of clarinet playing is complemented by her two students at the Sibelius Academy and, since 1995, by her work as a principal at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.
Saxophone

Kalle Oittinen
Presentation coming soon…
Bassoon

Mikko-Pekka Svala
Mikko-Pekka Svala’s childhood hobbies included football, ice hockey and playing the piano, but the drudgery of playing the keyboard soon became lonely, and he soon left piano behind. In music, Svala longed for teamwork – a sense of community, togetherness, direct communication from one player to another. It wasn’t long before he found himself rooted to the bassoon in the middle of the wind band’s bass sounds. Mikko-Pekka Svala, who has studied at the Sea Lapland Music Institute, Turku Conservatory, Sibelius Academy and music academies in Sweden and Germany, now plays bassoon as alternating principal in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mikko-Pekka teaches at the Helsinki Conservatory and at the Mannheim and Trossingen Music Academies in Germany. He also works actively with composers and Svala’s premieres include Yrjö Hjelt’s “Concerto for bassoon and chamber orchestra”, Tomi Räisänen’s “Axis Mundi” concerto and Matei Gheorghiu’s “Requiem”. Mikko-Pekka is an enthusiastic chamber musician and his music can be heard in concerts of the Ilmiö Ensemble, Zagros Ensemble and Helsinki Chamber Soloists. In the 2003 Crusell Competition, Svala won second prize and was also awarded a special prize for the best performance of a commissioned work. Mikko-Pekka Svala has been the Artistic Director of the Kälviä Music Camp since 2013.
Trumpet

Tomas Gricius
Tomas Gricius is a Lithuanian trumpeter. He has served as deputy principal at Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra from 2000 to 2005. Tomas has been principal trumpet at Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) since 2006 and in 2019 he was appointed principal trumpet at Avant! Chamber Orchestra. Gricius holds a Master’s degree from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Drama and has completed his studies in London (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), among other places, on the Sibelius Academy Erasmus programme. Tomas Gricius won the J. Pakalnis National Wind Instruments Competition in 1987, 1992 and 1995 and the 3rd International Raimo Sarmas Trumpet Competition in Lieksa in 2007.
Gricius has performed as soloist at Prague Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Joensuu City Orchestra, Kaunas Chamber Orchestra, RSO, Avant!, Central Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and Virtuosi di Kuhmo. He is also an active chamber musician and has performed and recorded a lot of contemporary music with Gaida Ensemble and Avant!. Tomas is also a guest lecturer at the Music Academy of the Vytautas Magnus University of Kaunas in Lithuania.
Horn

Jaakko Välimäki
Jaakko Välimäki is working as an alternative principal horn at Finnish National Opera and Ballet. He began his music studies at Valkeakoski Music Institute as a pupil of Antti Pajuoja. Inspired by numerous music camps, Jaakko went on to study music first at Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences, then at Sibelius Academy and later at Freiburg University of Music.
In his orchestral career, Jaakko has worked as principal at Lapland Chamber Orchestra and Lahti Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest principal at Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and Nordic Symphony Orchestra. Jaakko is teaching French horn at Sibelius Academy and Espoo Music Institute. He also teaches at Lieksa Brass Week in summer period.
As a teacher, Jaakko strives to help his students towards a natural and easy way of playing. Jaakko particularly enjoys coaching his students for auditions. In his free time, Jaakko jumps on climbing walls and produces a variety of horn-related content on his Instagram account @Hornofthenorth
Trombone

Olav Severeide
Olav has studied at Malmö Music Academy under Per Kristian Svensen and at Norwegian Academy of Music under Ingemar Roos. He has also studied at Berlin University of the Arts and completed an Erasmus exchange at Paris Conservatory. Olav has worked with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet since 2012. Prior to that, he was the alternating principal at Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 to 2012. Olav has also played at Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian National Opera Orchestra and Malmö Opera Orchestra. He has played at Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Avant! Chamber Orchestra, Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
Olav’s main instrument is tenor trombone, but he also plays the alto and bass trombone. Since 2020 he has been a trombone teacher at the Sibelius Academy. The highlight of his career so far has been the performance of Launy Grøndahl’s Trombone Concerto as soloist of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tuba and euphonium

Joel Wedelin
Joel Wendelin is a tuba player and low brass teacher. He graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 2022 with a Master of Music degree. He is currently a full-time low brass teacher at the East Helsinki Music Institute (IHMO) and an active freelance tuba player.
Wendelin has played at Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and Finnish National Opera Orchestra, among others. His solo experience as a soloist with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra dates back to spring 2022. Prior to that, he was a soloist in both the Naval Band and RSO’s Young Soloists’ Concert. Wendelin won 3rd prize at the 4th Lieksa Brass Week International Tuba Competition in the summer of 2023. In addition to orchestral and soloist experience, he is a sought-after teacher of low brass. In addition to IHMO, he has teaching experience at Turku Conservatory and music institutes in Länsi-Uusimaa and Vakka-Suomi. He has also been teaching at Kymi Brass from 2021-2023.
Wendelin began his music studies at the Turku Conservatory with baritone horn with Johanna Laakso, but he soon switched to tuba with Nicolas Indermüehle. At the Sibelius Academy, his teacher throughout his studies was Petri Keskitalo. Wendelin has supplemented his studies with numerous master classes. In addition to the above, Wendelin is a founding member of Vaskiseitsikko Novus, in which he plays the baritone horn. Wendelin’s leisure activities include jogging, football and floorball.
Percussion instruments

Lauri Pekkarinen
Lauri Pekkarinen (b. 1991) is a percussionist from Liminka, who works as a principal in the Lappeenranta City Orchestra. Prior to his current position, he worked as the percussion and drum principal of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed as a percussionist and timpanist in orchestras all over Finland. In addition to his work, he plays in the percussion quartet Awake Percussion and is one of the artistic directors of the Kumaus Festival, a contemporary music festival in Lappeenranta.
Pekkarinen began his studies in his home region at the Liminka Music Institute with Erja Anttila. He studied at the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Sibelius Academy and the Universität der Künste in Berlin with teachers such as Nathan Archer, Pasi Suomalainen, Antti Rislakki, Samuli Viitanen, Tim Ferchen, Lassi Erkkilä and David Punto. He has completed his studies with numerous master classes, including with Katarzyna Mycka, Nick Woud and Eric Sammut.
In percussion, Pekkari is fascinated by the versatility of the instrumental group and the endless possibilities for both rhythmic and classical music. Chamber music, both with his own ensemble and with changing ensembles, and the exploration of different sound colours are particularly close to his heart. In the orchestra he is most comfortable behind the timpani, but in the ever-evolving world of percussion there is always something new and exciting to discover!
Harp

Päivi Severeide
Päivi Severeide is the harp principal of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and a harp teacher at the Sibelius Academy. Severeide graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy in 2008 with Reija Bister as her main harp teacher and Arielle Valibouse in the final stages. She has also studied at the Freiburg Musikhochschule with Sarah O’Brien.
Severeide made her debut as a young soloist with the Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2004 and has since appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including Finnish National Opera Orchestra, Central Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Oulu Sinfonia and Pori Sinfonietta. As an orchestra musician, Severeide has worked with orchestras in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Prior to her post in Turku, she worked for a long time as principal harp at the Finnish National Opera Orchestra.
In addition to the standard harp repertoire, Severeide regularly premieres new repertoire and works actively with composers and arrangers, as evidenced by her recording as a member of Ensemble Transparent of Finnish chamber music for harp, flute and viola. As a member of the Avant! Chamber Orchestra, she has also gained a broad overview of the music of our time. Severeide has also collaborated with many pop/jazz music artists, bringing the harp into new contexts.
Päivi has been teaching at the Sibelius Academy since 2009, and her harp students have been successful in several international competitions and auditions. Päivi Severeide is a member of the board of the Finnish Harpists Association and artistic director of the Helsinki Harp Festival.
Chamber pianists

Naoko Ichihashi
Naoko Ichihashi graduated from the Toho Music Academy in Tokyo in 1981 and entered Indiana University in the same year to study piano with György Sebök. In 1986 she was awarded the prize for best accompanist at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1987 Ichihashi graduated from Indiana University and moved to Finland to take up a chamber pianist position at the Sibelius Academy. In the same year she became a member of Avant! Chamber Orchestra. From 1991 to 1992, she studied at the Ecole Normal in Paris and received a “Licence de concert” diploma. In 1993, Naoko was awarded second prize at the Oulu Chamber Music Competition. She has been a lecturer at the Sibelius Academy since 2014. She is a respected and active musician and performs regularly at chamber music events and is the pianist for the Jean Sibelius Violin Competition and the Paulo Cello Competition.

Ville Hautakangas
Lapua-born Ville Hautakangas is a pianist at the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and an accompanist at the Tampere Conservatory. He was awarded second prize at the Madetoja Piano Competition in 2000, and in spring 2001 he studied at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin with Prof. Georg Sava. Hautakangas graduated as a music pedagogue from the Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences in 2003 and completed a specialisation in soloist studies in 2005 with Martti Rautio and Lauri Väinmaa. In autumn 2023 he completed his studies by completing a Master’s degree at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Her thesis focused on the oldest music notebook for keyboard instruments in Finland, the music notebook of Anna Catharina Öhrbom from 1759.
Ville Hautakangas is also known as an interpreter of contemporary music and pianist at TampereRawn. He works closely with composers and has brought new Finnish piano music to the forefront with his acclaimed solo album 12 Premieres – Contemporary Finnish Piano Music, which was selected as an Emma Award nominee for classical music in 2024. Ville is the chairman of the Tampere Cultural Association and a member of the board of the Symphony Orchestra Vivo, and is active in the Tampere Piano Society and the Finnish Chopin Association. In addition to music, Hautakangas is also an accomplished photographer and has worked as a photographer at several classical music summer festivals. Homepage: www.pianovilho.com
Symphony orchestra

Ruut Kiiski
Ruut Kiiski graduated as a conductor from the Royal Stockholm Conservatoire in 2015. She has previously graduated from the Sibelius Academy as a church musician and choir conductor. Ruut has conducted Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire, among others. She has conducted opera at the Norrlandsoperan, worked with the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra and has been a guest conductor of the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra on several occasions. In autumn 2023 she made his debut with Kuopio City Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conducted L’elisir d’amore at Jyväskylä Opera. In the spring of 2024, Ruut will return to Joensuu City Orchestra and will conduct Lapland Chamber Orchestra and Kymi Sinfonietta, among others, for the first time. As a versatile musician and having worked with vocal instruments for a long time, Ruut enjoys opera music, but her strengths also include an interest in new and previously unheard music and in planning interesting programmes. Ruut is familiar with the Kälviä Music Camp from her own youth and is looking forward to working with young musicians!
String orchestra

Ahti Valtonen
Ahti Valtonen graduated in violin from the Sibelius Academy in 1986. In addition to his violin studies, he has studied orchestra conducting at numerous conducting courses. He has worked as a violinist with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Kouvola City Orchestra. He is currently a lecturer of violin at Käpylä Music Institute, where he also conducts the orchestra. During the summer season, Ahti Valtonen conducts orchestras and gives violin courses at various music camps.
Brass orchestra

Henriikka Teerikangas
Henriikka Teerikangas (b. 1989) studied french horn and wind orchestra conducting at the Sibelius Academy and orchestra conducting under Jorma Panula at Panula’s Youth Conducting Class and later at the Panula Academy. Teerikangas graduated from the wind orchestra conducting class under Petri Komulainen with excellent grades and has since served as Artistic Director of the Academic Wind Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Student Union Players, among others. Teerikangas has also conducted Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire at the Ateneum Art Museum in autumn 2023, Kymi Sinfonietta in spring 2023 with Radovan Vlatkovic as soloist, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Temppeliaukio Church with the Academic Wind Orchestra and three Helsinki University choirs in spring 2022 and Erik Fordell’s Festive Cantatas for the 400th anniversary of the city of Kokkola. In autumn 2024, she conducted the premiere of Olli Kortekankaa’s new chamber opera Isfåglarna in a production of the Central Ostrobothnia Chamber Opera Association.
Teerikangas has been playing as alternating principal of the Kymi Sinfonietta since 2019. Teerikangas is doing her postgraduate studies in the DocMus doctoral programme at the Sibelius Academy on French natural horn playing in the 17th and 19th centuries.