Jaana Kärkkäinen – pianist
Jaana Kärkkäinen is a versatile artist, who has increasingly specialised in contemporary music. Yet still, within the wide variety of her programmes, she has included the more traditional repertoire such as Beethoven´s Hammerklavier-sonata. Her studies at the Sibelius Academy, Rimski-Korsakov Conservatory in Saint Petersburg and Vienna High School of Music (diploma 1986) have given her a solid foundation in classical music.
She has also participated in several master classes with teachers such as György Sebök, Dmitri Bashkirov and Pascal Devoyon. After returning to Finland she became interested in a new, active, contemporary music orchestra Avanti!, which had been established a few years earlier in Helsinki. From then on, she has been a tireless explorer in the area of modern classics as well as new Finnish or foreign creations. She has received much of recognition for her activity, for instance in 1995 she performed as a soloist in a concert in honour of the 50th Anniversary of the Society of Finnish Composers. In 2001 she was granted a 2-year artist´s scholarship by the Finnish state.
Jaana Kärkkäinen has performed as a soloist with, among others, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta and Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, under conductors such as Sakari Oramo, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Susanna Mälkki, Lothar Zagrosek and Martyn Brabbins. In 1991 she played Luciano Berio’s ” Points on the Curve to Find ” the composer himself conducting. She has premiered works from several composers, such as Erik Bergman, Kimmo Hakola, Usko Meriläinen, Seppo Pohjola and Veli-Matti Puumala, and recorded Finnish music, eg. Usko Meriläinen and Jouni Kaipainen.
In addition to solo performances Jaana Kärkkäinen has taken part in various chamber music groups especially with Avanti!, and has performed with her sister Heini Kärkkäinen as a piano duo. She also has actively assisted Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra for some 10 years as keyboard player, so that she became familiar with other keyboards also, including electric instruments.
Jaana Kärkkäinen has been performing in solo and chamber music concerts in Helsinki Festival, Musica Nova Festival (previously named Helsinki Biennale), Viitasaari contemporary music festival (Time of Music) and the summer festival of Avanti!, and in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Japan and Italy. Among the recent performances could be mentioned the Piano Concerto by György Ligeti, the premiere of the etudes from Kimmo Hakola, Pierre Boulez’s “Sur Incises” and Olivier Messiaen’s “ Vingt Regards sur L’Enfant Jésus” e.g. in Paris, Helsinki, Espoo and Mikkeli.
Jaana Kärkkäinen has recorded Messiaen’s “ Vingt Regards sur L’Enfant Jésus” and it was nominated for the best classical music recording in Emma Award 2008 in Finland.
Photos of Jaana Kärkkäinen
© M-L.Kolehmainen
