The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and

Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...

, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in

Järvenpää Järvenpää (; sv, Träskända) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located on the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway track in Uusimaa region, some north of Helsinki. Neighbouring municipalities are Tuusula, Sipoo and Mäntsälä. People ...

and a training centre in

Seinäjoki Seinäjoki (; "Wall River"; la, Wegelia, formerly sv, Östermyra) is a city located in South Ostrobothnia, Finland; east of Vaasa, north of Tampere, west of Jyväskylä and southwest of Oulu. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bru ...

. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities with roughly 1,400 enrolled students. The Sibelius Academy is the organizer of th
International Maj Lind Piano Competition
and one of the organizers of the

International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition The International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, named after Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, is a competition for violinists up to age 30. It is held every five years in Helsinki. The first competition took place in year 1965, eight years after ...

held every five years in Helsinki.

History

The academy was founded in 1882 by

Martin Wegelius Martin Wegelius (10 November 1846 – 22 March 1906) was a Finnish composer and musicologist, primarily remembered as the founder, in 1882, of the Helsinki Music Institute, now known as the Sibelius Academy. Wegelius studied in Leipzig, Vie ...

as ' ("Helsinki Music Institute") and renamed ' in 1939 to honour its own former student and Finland's most celebrated composer

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...

. In 2013, the academy merged with two formerly independent universities, Helsinki Theatre Academy and Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, to form the University of the Arts Helsinki.

Degrees

The primary

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

at the Sibelius Academy is the Master of Music (MMus) degree. The school also offers postgraduate degrees with artistic and research options. The postgraduate degrees are the Licentiate of Arts in Music Lic.A. (Mus.) and the doctoral degree of Doctor of Arts in Music D.A. (Mus.)

Degree programmes

The Academy offers the following degree programmes: *Degree Programme in Church Music *Degree Programme in Composition and Music Theory *Degree Programme in Folk Music *Degree Programme in Jazz Music *Degree Programme in Orchestral and Choral Conducting *Degree Programme in Music Education *Degree Programme in Music Technology *Degree Programme in Music Performance *Degree Programme in Vocal Music *Degree Programme in Arts Management

Notable students and faculty (past and present)

Composers

Greta Dahlström Greta Dahlström (21 August 1887 – 23 March 1978) was a Finnish music teacher and composer. She extensively worked on composing Finnish folk music, and assisted Otto Andersson in editing Swedish folk poetry. Biography Born on 21 August 1887 ...

, music teacher and composer * Kalevi Aho * Erik Bergman * Paavo Heininen, former professor of composition *

Tuomas Kantelinen Tuomas Kantelinen (born 22 September 1969 in Kankaanpää) is a Finnish composer. He studied composition at the Sibelius Academy with Eero Hämeenniemi. He is best known for his scores for films such as ''Rukajärven tie'', '' Äideistä parhain'', ...

* Pekka Kostiainen, composer and choral conductor *

Magnus Lindberg Magnus Gustaf Adolf Lindberg (born 27 June 1958) is a Finnish composer and pianist. He was the New York Philharmonic's composer-in-residence from 2009 to 2012 and has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra's composer-in-residence since the begin ...

* Jaakko Mäntyjärvi * Erkki Melartin, student/composer/professor/Director Helsinki Conservatory * Veli-Matti Puumala, professor of composition *

Einojuhani Rautavaara Einojuhani Rautavaara (; 9 October 1928 – 27 July 2016) was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a List of compositions by Einojuhani Rautavaara, gre ...

* Kaija Saariaho * Aulis Sallinen *

Conductors

* Leo Funtek (1885–1965), violinist, conductor, arranger and music professor * Paavo Berglund, conductor * Pietari Inkinen, violinist, and conductor * Sasha Mäkilä, assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra *

Eva Ollikainen Eva Ollikainen (born 12 February 1982, Espoo) is a Finnish conductor. In 2019, Ollikainen was appointed chief conductor and artistic director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, in a four year contract to commence with the 2021 season. Early li ...

, conductor of the

Iceland Symphony Orchestra Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution under the aus ...

* Sakari Oramo, conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra * Jorma Panula, conductor, composer and teacher *

Atso Almila Atso Almila (born 13 June 1953, in Helsinki 1) is a Finnish orchestral conductor, music director, composer, trombonist and teacher. He has worked with most Finnish orchestras as a guest conductor or otherwise. Though he primarily operates in Finlan ...

, conductor, composer and teacher *

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

, conductor of the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...

, former conductor of the LA Philharmonic, composer * Jukka-Pekka Saraste, former conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra *

David Searle David Harry Searle (1936 – March 1, 2021) was a Canadian politician and lawyer from the Northwest Territories. Legal career Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Searle moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories with his family in 1946. He was educated a ...

, orchestral conductor of The Catholic University of America Symphony Orchestra *

Leif Segerstam Leif Selim Segerstam ( , ; born 2 March 1944) is a Finnish conductor, composer, violinist, violist and pianist, especially known for writing 350 symphonies as of August 2022, along with other works in his extensive oeuvre. Segerstam has condu ...

, conductor of the

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (Finnish: ''Turun Filharmoninen Orkesteri'') is a Finnish orchestra based in Turku, Finland. It is the oldest orchestra in Finland, and one of the world's oldest still active orchestras. The Turku Philharmonic is ...

Ulf Söderblom Ulf Arne Söderblom (5 February 1930 – 4 February 2016) was a Finnish conductor and music professor. He was the principal conductor of the Finnish National Opera from 1973 to 1993 and was a key figure in the revival of the Savonlinna Opera Festiva ...

, Principal Conductor of the

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet ( fi, Suomen Kansallisooppera ja -baletti; sv, Finlands Nationalopera och -balett) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the T ...

(1973–1993), taught at the Sibelius Academy and conducted its orchestras from 1965 to 1968Dahlström, Fabian (2011)
"Söderblom, Ulf"
. ''Biografiskt lexikon för Finland''. Online version retrieved 17 February 2015 . *

Heidi Sundblad-Halme Heidi Gabriella Wilhelmina Sundblad-Halme (25 September 1903 – 30 April 1973) was a Finnish composer and conductor who founded the Helsinki Women’s Orchestra and conducted it for 30 years. Career Sundblad-Halme was born in Jakobstad, where her ...

, founder and conductor of the Helsinki Women’s Orchestra; composer *

Okko Kamu Okko Tapani Kamu (born 7 March 1946, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and violinist. Kamu was born into a family of musicians. His father played double bass in the Helsinki Philharmonic. He began violin studies at age two a ...

, conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra * Osmo Vänskä, music director of the

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...

Mikko Franck Mikko Franck is a Finnish conductor and violinist. Biography Franck was born in Helsinki. He began learning the violin at the age of 5 and started violin studies at the Sibelius Academy in 1992. The Academy let Franck conduct an orchestra in 19 ...

, conductor of the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France *

Susanna Mälkki Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki (born 13 March 1969) is a Finnish conductor and cellist. Early life and education Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki was born on 13 March 1969 in Helsinki. She began to learn the violin, piano, and cello in her youth ...

, conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra * Hannu Lintu, conductor of the

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Finnish: ''Radion sinfoniaorkesteri'', Swedish: ''Radions symfoniorkester'') is a Finnish broadcast orchestra based in Helsinki, and the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). The orchestra prima ...

Klaus Mäkelä Klaus Mäkelä (born 17 January 1996) is a Finnish conductor and cellist. He is currently chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, music director of the Orchestre de Paris, and artistic partner and chief conductor-designate of the Royal Concertg ...

, conductor of the Orchestre de Paris *

Dima Slobodeniouk Dima Slobodeniouk (Димa Слободенюк;( born 1975) is a Finnish conductor based in Finland. Biography As a youth, Slobodeniouk began his violin studies in Moscow, from 1980 to 1989, at the Moscow Central Music School, where his teacher ...

, conductor of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia * Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO; sv, Göteborgs Symfoniker) is a Swedish symphony orchestra based in Gothenburg. The GSO is resident at the Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen. The orchestra received the title of the National Orche ...

, and the

Dalia Stasevska Dalia Stasevska (born 30 December 1984) is a Finnish conductor. She is currently the principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Biography Born in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, ...

, conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Instrumentalists

Astrid Riska Astrid Riska (14 December 1932 – 13 April 2010) was a Finnish organist. She showed interest in children's choirs and voice training. Biography Astrid Riska was born as Astrid Linnea Riska née Häggblom on 14 December 1932 in Korsholm, Finl ...

, organist *

Juhani Aaltonen Juhani Aaltonen (born December 12, 1935) is a Finnish jazz saxophonist and flautist. Born in Kouvola, Finland, he studied at Sibelius Academy and Berklee College of Music. He began playing professionally at the end of the 1950s. He played in a ...

, Finnish

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist and flautist * Linda Brava, violinist *

France Ellegaard France Marguerite Ellegaard (10 October 1913 – 17 April 1999) was a Finnish pianist and music educator, born in France to Danish parents. She was considered one of the 20th century's great concert pianists. The daughter of cyclist Thorvald E ...

(1913–1999), pianist and faculty member *

Gerard Le Feuvre Gerard Le Feuvre (born 11 September 1962) is a British musician. Early life and education Le Feuvre was born on 11 September 1962 in Jersey, Channel Islands, one of four children of a Jersey businessman. He is an alumnus of the Royal Academy ...

, cellist and founder of the Kings Chamber Orchestra * Simon Ghraichy (1985), pianist *

Tuija Hakkila Tuija Hakkila (born January 16, 1959) is a Finnish classical pianist. She studied at the Sibelius Academy and at the Conservatoire de Paris with Jacques Rouvier. She has performed as soloist, in chamber groups and as accompanist. She is regularly i ...

(1959), pianist *

Anja Ignatius Anja Ignatius (July 2, 1911 – April 10, 1995) was a Finland, Finnish violinist and music educator, mainly known as a chamber musician. She was born in Tampere, began studying violin at the age of five and gave her first concert at the age of ...

(1911–1995), violinist and professor * Kalevi Kiviniemi, organist *

Kari Kriikku Kari Kriikku (born 1960) is a Finland, Finnish European classical music, classical clarinetist. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and later with Alan Hacker in England and with Leon Russianoff and Charles Neidich in the United Stat ...

, clarinetist *

Matias Kupiainen Matias Kupiainen (born 11 May 1983 in Helsinki) is a Finnish guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the current guitarist in Stratovarius. Kupiainen was chosen as the new guitarist for the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius after Ti ...

, lead guitarist of the band Stratovarius * Pekka Kuusisto, violinist *

Risto Lauriala Risto Vilho Johannes Lauriala (born 21 November 1949) is a Finnish classical pianist. Education Lauriala was born in Oulu, Finland. He studied at the Sibelius Academy (1969-'72), and completed a master's degree in piano in 1972. He graduated from ...

, pianist *

Max Lilja Max Lilja (born 27 October 1975) is a Finnish cello player. He is best known as a founding member of the Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica, a band he left in 2001 to join the Finnish thrash metal band Hevein. Beginning in 2007, Lilja has ...

, cellist in the band Hevein and founding member of Apocalyptica * Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna, pianist * Paavo Lötjönen, cellist in the band Apocalyptica * Antero Manninen, former cellist in the band Apocalyptica and cellist in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra * Olli Mustonen, pianist and composer * Arto Noras, cellist, student of Paul Tortelier * Mikko Paananen, known as Mige, bassist of the band HIM *

Martti Pokela Martti Eliel Pokela (23 January 1924 – 23 August 2007) was a Finnish folk musician and composer. Pokela was an expert with the kantele, Finland's national musical instrument. Life and career Pokela and his wife, Marjatta Pokela, were widely ...

, founder of the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

department and former professor of the kantele *Aku Raski aka Huoratron, electro house and chiptune musician *

Martti Rousi Martti Arvo Henrik Rousi (born 2 November 1960 in Piikkiö), is a Finnish cellist. Martti Rousi started to play the cello at the age of 8 in Turku. His first teachers were Timo Hanhinen and Seppo Kimanen. He then studied at the Sibelius Academy wi ...

, cello teacher *

Kaija Saarikettu Kaija Saarikettu (born 17 May 1957, Ekenäs, Finland) is a Finnish people, Finnish violinist and the Professor of strings and chamber music at Sibelius Academy (now part of the University of the Arts Helsinki). Saarikettu graduated from Sibelius ...

, Professor of solo strings and chamber music *

Antti Siirala Antti Aleksi Siirala (born 16 May 1979 in Helsinki) is a Finnish pianist. Antti Siirala's international career was launched when he won First Prize in the 10th Vienna Beethoven competition as the youngest contestant, receiving the special awar ...

, winner of the Dublin,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, and Beethoven international piano competitions *

Agnes Tschetschulin Agnes Tschetschulin (24 February 1859 – 23 April 1942) was a Finnish composer and violinist who toured internationally. Tschetschulin was born in Helsinki to Feodor and Hilda Eckstein Tschetschulin. She had three sisters: Maria, Melanie, and E ...

, violinist, composer, one of the first four graduates *

Eicca Toppinen Eino Matti "Eicca" Toppinen (born 5 August 1975) is a Finnish cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four str ...

, cellist in the band Apocalyptica * Perttu Kivilaakso, cellist in the band Apocalyptica, former Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Vocalists

Anneli Aarika-Szrok Eini Anneli Aarika-Szrok ( Fagerholm, 18 October 1924 – 2004) was a Finnish opera singer. Aarika-Szrok was born in October 1924 in Helsinki. She studied at the Sibelius Academy from 1944 to 1949, and then at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in ...

, contralto *

Kim Borg Kim Borg (August 7, 1919April 28, 2000) was a Finnish bass, teacher and composer. He had a wide-ranging, resonant, warm voice. Biography Kim Borg was born in Helsinki. He studied voice with Heikki Teittinen at the Sibelius Academy (1936–1941 ...

, bass * Monica Groop, mezzo-soprano * Tommi Hakala, baritone, winner of the 2003 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition *

Jorma Hynninen Jorma Kalervo Hynninen (born 3 April 1941) is a Finnish baritone who performs regularly with the world's major opera companies. He has also worked in opera administration. Hynninen was born on 3 April 1941 in Leppävirta, Finland. He studied fro ...

, baritone *

Soile Isokoski Soile Marja Isokoski (born 14 February 1957) is a Finnish lyric soprano. She is an opera singer as well as a concert and lieder singer. Career Isokoski was born in Posio, Finland. She graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki (a cantor ...

, soprano * Topi Lehtipuu, tenor * Peter Lindroos, tenor (was both a student and teacher at the academy)Lampila, Hannu-Ilari (November 2003)
"Peter Lindroos"
(obituary). ''

Helsingin Sanomat ''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of ...

''. Retrieved 18 February 2015 . * Karita Mattila, soprano, winner of the 1983 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition * Jyrki Niskanen, tenor *

Arja Saijonmaa Arja Enni Helena Saijonmaa (born 1 December 1944 in Mikkeli) is a Finnish singer, political activist and occasional actress. Life and career She studied at the Sibelius Academy and earned a Bachelor of Arts at the Helsinki University. She made ...

, singer * Petteri Salomaa, bass-baritone * Tuuli Takala, soprano *

Tarja Turunen Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three and a half o ...

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

, former singer of the

symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...

band

Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...

Soila Sariola Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word ''rajaton'' means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop. Rajaton performs primarily in Finland b ...

, singer of the double platinum awarded and multiple gold winning vocal ensemble Rajaton *

Matti Salminen Matti Kalervo Salminen (born 7 July 1945) is a Finnish operatic bass, now retired, who has sung at the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival. He is distinguished by an imposing figure and ...

, bass * Paula Vesala, singer of

PMMP PMMP was a Finnish pop rock band fronted by singers Paula Vesala and Mira Luoti and backed by musicians Mikko Virta, Juho Vehmanen and Heikki Kytölä. The name of the band is often said to be an abbreviation of the sentence "Paulan ja Mira ...

Martti Wallén Martti Wallén (born 20 November 1948) is a Finnish operatic bass singer. Born in Helsinki, he sang both internationally and in his native country where he was a visiting soloist at the Finnish National Opera for many years. He created the role of ...

, opera singer

Junior Academy

Junior Academy is for highly skilled young musicians to study with top level professionals before entering a university.

References

External links

Sibelius AcademySibelius Academy official Facebook pageEffects of the Bologna Declaration on Professional Music Training in EuropeEuropean Association of Conservatoires (AEC)
{{Authority control Culture in Helsinki Education in Helsinki Music schools in Finland Universities and colleges in Finland Educational institutions established in 1882 1882 establishments in Finland Töölö Things named after Jean Sibelius