Tellu Turkka (formerly Tellu Paulasto, Tellu Virkkala, born 1969,

Koskenpää Koskenpää is a village and former municipality of Finland in the Central Finland region. It was consolidated with Jämsänkoski in 1969, which in turn was consolidated with Jämsä in 2009. It bordered Jämsänkoski, Jämsä, Kuorevesi, Keuru ...

) is a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...

and singer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She studied violin at the Jyväskylä Conservatory from 1978 to 1985, at the

Savonlinna Savonlinna (, , ; sv, Nyslott, lit=New Castle) is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region, which is why the city is also nicknamed the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with Mikke ...

Art College from 1985 to 1988, and at the Folk Music Department of the

Sibelius Academy 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 and Kuopio, Finland. It al ...

from 1989 to 2001. She also studied

Hardanger Fiddle A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than ...

with Ånon Egeland in Norway from 1992 to 1993. She is probably best known for her work with the band

Hedningarna Hedningarna (''The Heathens'') is a Swedish, and for some years partly Finnish, folk music band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features yoik or juoiggus, a traditional Sami form of s ...

(1990–1996, 2001–2003). During her work with Hedningarna, she developed a strong interest in the ancient Finnish runo-songs, which compose the Finnish national epic, the

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and ...

. Tellu has also performed with the ensembles

Loituma Loituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. History Loituma’s initial incarnation was in ...

(1989–1991; she was a founding member), Piniartut, Tallari (1997–1998, 2001–2002) and Luna Nova (1996–2001), and is currently performing with her group Suden Aika along with Liisa Matveinen,

Katariina Airas Katariina (Finnish; ''Katarina'' in Swedish) is a district in the Uittamo-Skanssi ward of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located in the south of the city, and is mainly a low-density residential suburb. There is also a nature reserve in t ...

and

Nora Vaura Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

. She also participated in

Ruth MacKenzie Ruth Mackenzie is an artistic director of theatres and arts festivals. She has worked extensively in the UK and Europe, and was responsible for the London 2012 Festival. In 2022 she was appointed as artistic director of the Adelaide Festival of ...

's musical theatre performance ''Kalevala: Dream of the Salmon Maiden'' at the

Guthrie Theatre The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

in 1999.

Discography

With Hedningarna

*Kaksi (1992) *Trä (1994)

With Liisa Matveinen

* Mateli (1999)

Solo

* Pähkinänsydän (1999; children's music)

With Piniartut

*Piniartut (2001; Tellu also produced this album)

With Tallari

* Virtaa (1999) * Mieron tammat (2002) * Runolaulutanssit (2003)

With Suden Aika

* Suden Aika (1996) * Etsijä (2004) * Unta (2006)

External links

Suden Aika
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkka, Tellu 1969 births Living people 20th-century Finnish women singers Finnish fiddlers Finnish violinists 21st-century violinists 21st-century Finnish women singers