Sonja KorkealaViolin
Aarne PelkonenBaritone
Katinka KorkealaViolin
Mackenzie MelemedPiano
Laura HynninenHarp
Hariolf SchlichtigViola
Yanan WangViola
Riitta PesolaCello
Wen-Sinn YangCello
Aapo JärvinenFlute
Nahoko KinoshitaOboe
Gil Agababa ShakedClarinet
Jussi JärvenpääFrench horn
Emil FuchsBassoon
Lara PoeComposer
The Ensemble of Finnish Baroque OrchestraSonja Korkeala
ViolinSonja Korkeala was born in Finland. She is a violinist, professor for violin at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, Primaria of the Rodin-Quartett. Since 2007 Sonja Korkeala is artistic director of the Kimito Island Music Festival, in cooperation with her twin sister Katinka Korkeala, who founded the festival in 1999.
She studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Ari Angervo and Prof. Tuomas Haapanen and at the Liszt Academy in Budapest with Maria Vermes. Sonja Korkeala continued her studies with professor Ana Chumachenco at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, where she finished her studies with the masterclass degree. She won several prizes, among others at Concertino Praga 1984, 1985 in Kuopio (Finland), 1988 in Gorizia (Italy) and 1991 at the "Konzertgesellschaft" in Munich.
Since 1993 Sonja Korkeala is first violinist of the Rodin string quartet, which has its own concert series in the Max-Joseph-Saal at the Munich Residenz since 1997. The Rodin-Quartett recorded many CDs with the Amati Records.
Sonja Korkeala has performed at numerous festivals, e.g. Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival, Amiata Piano Festival and she has collaborated with musicians among others András Adorján, Adrian Brendel, Eduard Brunner, Ana Chumachenco, Christoph Hartmann, Helena Juntunen, Sharon Kam, Radu Lupu, Siegfried Palm, Alfredo Perl, Christoph Richter, Hariolf Schlichtig, Ingolf Turban, Jörg Widmann, Marko Ylönen and Wen Xiao Zheng.
In 1994 she became assistant teacher of Prof. Ana Chumchenco at the "University of Music and Performing Arts Munich", then since 2000 she has taught her own class at the same institute. Since 2011 she is professor at the "University of Music and Performing Arts Munich". She made a name for herself as teacher of highly giftet young violinists. Her pupils included Julia Fischer, Arabella Steinbacher, Lena Neudauer, Mariella Haubs, Daniel Röhn, Veronika Eberle and many others.
Aarne Pelkonen
Baritonehttps://aarnepelkonen.com/
Katinka Korkeala
ViolinKatinka Korkeala studied violin at the Sibelius Academy under Ari Angervo, Tuomas Haapanen and Igor Bezrodny. She has attended master classes of Yehudi Menuhin, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Ana Chumachenko. In 1999 she was awarded Master of Music degree at Sibelius Academy, and she gave a well-received recital in Helsinki. Korkeala has given numerous concerts, both as a chamber musician, and as a soloist; with orchestras like Tapiola Sinfonietta, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vox Artis Chamber Orchestra, and City Orchestras in Oulu, Jyväskylä, Pori, Mikkeli and Hämeenlinna. She has performed in Austria, Germany, France, Iceland, Italy, Russia and Switzerland.
Katinka Korkeala won the 1st prize for duos, together with her twin sister Sonja, in Concertino Praga Competition in 1984. She played 1st violin in Tapiola Sinfonietta from 1992 to 1994 and as the leader in Kouvola City orchestra in 1995. From 1999 to 2003 she taught violin at Tampere Conservatory, and after that taught at Stadia. Nowadays Korkeala acts as a freelance musician.
Katinka Korkeala founded the Kimito Island Music Festival in 1999 together with her husband, pianist Martti Rautio. They acted together as the artistic directors for 9 years. She has continued in this position with her twin sister Sonja Korkeala from 2007 to 2019 and during 2023.
Mackenzie Melemed
Pianohttps://www.mackenziemelemed.com/
Laura Hynninen
Harphttps://www.laurahynninen.fi/
Hariolf Schlichtig
Violahttp://www.hariolfschlichtig.de
Yanan Wang
ViolaRiitta Pesola
CelloRiitta Pesola began playing the cello at the Kotka Music Institute and continued her studies at the Sibelius Academy and the Juilliard School in New York. After winning the national cello competition in Turku in 1986, Pesola has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras and in solo concerts in her home country, several European countries, as well as in the United States and Japan. Riitta Pesola is a member of Trio Finlandia and the principal cellist of the Tapiola Sinfonietta. Her instrument is an Italian Giovanni Grancino cello from 1698.
Wen-Sinn Yang
Cellohttp://wensinnyang.de/
Aapo Järvinen
FluteNahoko Kinoshita
OboeGil Agababa Shaked
ClarinetJussi Järvenpää
French hornEmil Fuchs
BassoonLara Poe
Composerhttps://www.larapoe.com/
The Ensemble of Finnish Baroque Orchestra
Founded in 1989, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra has consolidated its position within the Finnish orchestral scene. Since its inception, FiBO has collaborated with some of the foremost soloists and concertmasters of the age and performed a wide-ranging repertoire. The focus is generally on Baroque music, but the orchestra often explores works from other periods too, from early Baroque to early Romanticism. FiBO also plays contemporary music composed for period instruments, and has even commissioned several works itself. The musicians of the core ensemble often perform as chamber musicians. In its largest manifestations the orchestra can be heard playing symphony-orchestra repertoire and in opera performances.
FiBO regularly performs as orchestra in residence at the festive House of Nobility in Helsinki and tours widely across Finland. The orchestra also frequently performs at major Finnish festivals including the Helsinki Festival, the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, and the Turku Music Festival. Abroad FiBO has given performances at concert halls across Germany, Austria, Spain, East Europe and the Nordic countries.
Throughout its history, FiBO has been a forerunner in the Finnish music scene. Beginning life as the Sixth Floor Orchestra, it has played an important role in the emergence of the early-music movement in Northern Europe. As the orchestra has developed, FiBO’s exciting performances, creative programming and innovative projects, have caught the attention of concert organisers both in Finland and abroad. From widening economic support at home to growing popularity abroad, and with awards including Finnish Musical Act of the Year and Disc of the Year (Yle), FiBO continues to forge a unique path as a Baroque orchestra for the 21st century.
Moramoramor, the first album by FiBO Records, was released in November 2017 and has received a warm welcome. It contains the third and fifth Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach, concertos by Vivaldi with the orchestra’s own soloists, and Jukka Tiensuu’s Mora, the first Finnish piece composed for a large Baroque orchestra. The second album by FiBO Records, Helsinki Window contains contemporary music for baroque instruments. It is possible to buy these albums from FiBO’s online store.
"One could not ask for a finer, more resilient support for the soloists than the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, guests for the first time at the Nuremberg International Organ Week."
Süddeutsche Zeitung / Stephan Schwarz-Peters, June 10, 2018, from the performance of Händel's Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno