Jyrki Niskanen (born 12 February 1956 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 ...

) is an

opera 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 libr ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

from

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 Bot ...

. Niskanen started his musical career as an entertainment musician, playing piano, keyboard and accordion, accompanying many of the well-known Finnish artists of the 1970s-1980s. Niskanen studied piano at 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 ...

and obtained diploma in improvisation and free accompaniment. He studied singing at the Sibelius Academy, in London with Vera Rózsa and in Vienna and Berlin with Peter Berne. Niskanen is known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a dramatic tone. His sonorous tenor excels in strong Wagner operas and Italian operas. Niskanen made his professional debut in ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, ...

'' at the

Savonlinna Opera Festival Savonlinna Opera Festival ( fi, Savonlinnan oopperajuhlat) is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's Castle), built in 1475. The castle is located amid spectacular lake ...

in 1992, and was invited to Zürich Opernhaus. Since then he has performed in most major tenor roles and in major international opera houses. He has given concert performances in

, Norway,

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and United States, with many leading conductors. Niskanen has composed some 800 pieces of music and one musical for children (premier in 2012 in St. Petersburg), and has arranged several pieces of music for orchestra and choir.

Recordings

*''Recital in Helsinki'' (1990) * Arias and Love Songs (1994) * Holy Night, Christmas Songs(1996) * Beethoven 9th symphony (with Orchestra La Scala, conductor

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti, (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds two music directorships, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale ...

) (1998) * Operetten (with Eva Martón and Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln) (1998) * Tristan und Isolde, High Lights (as Tristan, with Lorin Maazel) (2001) * Kulkuset ja kellot soivat, Christmas Songs (2004) * Atlantic Sky: Piano Solos, own compositions (2011) * Joulun tähden: Christmas Songs, own compositions (2011) * The Greatest Tenor Arias (2012)

References

* Kuka kukin on 2011 (Who's Who in Finland), Otava

External links

*Personal home pag
www.jyrkiniskanen.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niskanen, Jyrki 1956 births Living people Singers from Helsinki Finnish operatic tenors 20th-century Finnish male opera singers 21st-century Finnish male opera singers