Päivi Severeide

Päivi Severeide is the principal harpist of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and a university teacher of harp at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts. Päivi is also the artistic director of the international Helsinki Harp Festival, and her passion is to bring her instrument and her colleagues into the spotlight they deserve.

Päivi studied at the Sibelius Academy and the Freiburg University of Music. Severeide made her debut as a young soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2004 and has since appeared as a soloist with several orchestras in Finland. In 2024, she played the Finnish premiere of Andrea Tarrodi’s concerto with the Lohja City Orchestra. Päivi’s recent festival appearances include Meidän Festivaali, Sysmän Suvisoitto, Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki, Korsholman Musiikkijuhlat, Helsingin Juhlaviikot, and the Gothenburg Harp Festival. As an orchestral musician, Severeide has worked with orchestras in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

In addition to the standard harp repertoire, Severeide regularly premieres new works and actively collaborates with composers and arrangers. As principal harpist of the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, she has gained a broad overview of contemporary music, and her membership in the Vantaa Viihdeorkesteri has added diversity to her musicality. Päivi has also brought the harp to the world of easy listening music through her own projects.