Maija Kontunen

As Maija passed by the music class rehearsals at the Lappeenranta elementary school, she heard nothing but the tuning sound of the orchestra, which she remembers as a great experience. This led her to aspire to join the orchestra herself. Thus began a long musical career, from childhood music and singing, through music classes, music school, and the Sibelius Academy, all the way to professional orchestras.

After Sibelius Academy (with Leena Siukonen as the teacher), studies continued at the Vienna Music University as well as in the Netherlands, under V. Liberman and Z. Vinnikov, and in various masterclasses.

Immediately after receiving her violin diploma in 1982, Maija obtained the position of assistant concertmaster at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, where she played until 1999. After that, she began working as the second concertmaster at the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to orchestral work, Maija has worked as violin teacher, soloist and chamber musician. Maija has made numerous radio recordings as a violinist of the Kerava Quartet and the Temporale Piano Trio, and has served as one of the leaders of the Finnish Chamber Orchestra. She has also played in the Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra and the Avanti Orchestra.

Maija is also inspired by studying the Baroque style, and she completed a degree in Baroque violin performance in 2014. She is a founding member of the Turku Early Music community and plays the Baroque violin in various ensembles. In addition to working as a musician, Maija’s free time is devoted to exercise and various different hobbies such as ballet, going to theaters and art exhibitions, and of course, returning to her childhood scenery by the shores of Lake Saimaa in the summers.