Ilona Jokinen (born 1981) 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 ...

soprano

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

whose repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music.

Education

Jokinen earned her bachelor's degree in singing pedagogy at the Helsinki Polytechnic. Ilona Jokinen studied opera under Pirkko Törnqvist-Paakkanen and Ritva Auvinen at

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 ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. She graduated in 2009. She continued her vocal studies with

Tom Krause Tom Gunnar Krause (5 July 1934 − 6 December 2013) was a Finnish operatic bass-baritone, particularly associated with Mozart roles. Early life Born in Helsinki, Tom Krause studied medicine for three years with the intention of becoming a psyc ...

, and has attended master classes by Dorothy Irving,

Sherrill Milnes Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American dramatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera. His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an in ...

, and Joan Dornemann.

Career

Ilona Jokinen has held prominent roles at Savonlinna Opera Festival,

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 ...

, and other venues. She has performed as Fransquita (Bizet: Carmen), Vera (Kortekangas: Daddy's Girl), Thyra ( Hakola: Vieriva kivi), Young Shepherd (Wagner: Tannhauser), and Susanna ( Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro). Jokinen has performed with main orchestras and choirs in Finland, such as

Lahti Symphony Orchestra The Lahti Symphony Orchestra (''Sinfonia Lahti'') is a Finnish orchestra, based in the city of Lahti. The orchestra is resident at the Sibelius Hall. The orchestra was founded in 1910, and placed under the control of the Lahti municipality in 194 ...

, Cantores Minores and Tallinn Baroque Orchestra. Lied is well represented in Ilona Jokinen's concert repertoire. Recently, Jokinen has performed a
Organ Night and Aria Festival
in

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

, and at the final concert a
Helsinki Organ Festival
In addition to her homeland, she has sung in Japan, Ireland, Spain, and the United States.

Awards

Jokinen has won prizes in Finnish national singing competitions and lied music competitions, such as first prize in Pentti Koskimies lied competition and third prize at the Merikanto singing competition and

Toivo Kuula Toivo Timoteus Kuula (7 July 1883 – 18 May 1918) was a Finnish composer and conductor of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods, who emerged in the wake of Jean Sibelius, under whom he studied privately from 1906 to 1908. The core of Ku ...

competition.

References

External links

Ilona Jokinen Official WebsiteSibelius Academy Website
1981 births Living people Finnish operatic sopranos People from Lahti 21st-century Finnish women singers {{Finland-opera-singer-stub