22 Facts About Pekka Kuusisto

Pekka Kuusisto was born on 7 October 1976 and is a Finnish musician.

Pekka Kuusisto's grandfather was the composer and organist Taneli Kuusisto, his father Ilkka Kuusisto, who had many functions in Finnish musical life including director of the Finnish National Opera, and who was a prolific composer of operas, and his mother was a music teacher.

Pekka Kuusisto began studying the violin at the age of three.

In 1995, Kuusisto became the first Finn to win the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition and was awarded a special prize for the best performance of the Sibelius violin concerto.

Pekka Kuusisto has won other prizes, concertised widely, and recorded works for the Ondine label.

Pekka Kuusisto has been a guest performer with groups such as Nightwish, Rinneradio, Don Johnson Big Band, The National and Salsa Dura.

Pekka Kuusisto writes music, but mostly for small ensembles where he is one of the performers.

Pekka Kuusisto composed the music for the album Kiestinki, with lyrics by Paula Vesala.

Pekka Kuusisto has written music for a collaboration between himself, his brother Jaakko Pekka Kuusisto and the vocal ensemble Rajaton, themed on climate change.

Pekka Kuusisto has arranged Sibelius's string quartet Voces intimae for chamber orchestra.

In classical circles, Pekka Kuusisto is internationally renowned both as soloist and director and is recognised for his fresh approach to the repertoire.

Pekka Kuusisto returned to the Cincinnati Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras.

Pekka Kuusisto seeks to engage with people across the artistic spectrum, working on new interpretations of existing repertoire alongside original works.

Pekka Kuusisto regularly directs ensembles from the violin, including the Australian, London, Irish, Mahler and Saint Paul chamber orchestras, as well as the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

Pekka Kuusisto gave the world premiere of Olli Mustonen's Sonata for Violin and Piano with the composer at the Wigmore Hall in spring 2013, and later the same year toured Europe with his traditional music group, The Luomu Players.

In 2013, Pekka Kuusisto gave the world premiere of an electronic work inspired by Magnus Lindberg's Violin Concerto, which he co-wrote with Tuomas Norvio.

Pekka Kuusisto gave duo performances with juggler Jay Gilligan, joined the vocal group Rajaton and performed with Finnish schlager legend Paula Koivuniemi.

Pekka Kuusisto has enjoyed a number of prestigious residencies, including at the Aldeburgh Festival, the Concertgebouw's Robeco Zomerconcerten, and as a 'Junge Wilde' artist at the Konzerthaus Dortmund.

Pekka Kuusisto was featured in the film 4 as the soloist of the winter quarter of a quartet of young musicians from around the world playing Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

Pekka Kuusisto has composed the music for the 2019 animated show, Moominvalley, along with Samuli Kosminen.

That same year, Pekka Kuusisto was the main soloist during the Prinsengrachtconcert, an annual open-air concert held on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam.

On 16 July 2023 Pekka Kuusisto led an innovative performance of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons at the BBC Proms, alongside folk musician Ale Carr with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.