Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a stronger national identity when his country was struggling from several attempts of Russification in the late 19th century.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste is a Finnish conductor and violinist.
The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 of Jean Sibelius, originally composed in 1904 and revised in 1905, is the only concerto by Sibelius. It is symphonic in scope and included an extended cadenza for the soloist that takes on the role of the development section in the first movement.
The Sibelius Academy is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities with roughly 1,400 enrolled students.
Leif Selim Segerstam is a Finnish conductor, composer, violinist, violist and pianist, especially known for writing 354 symphonies, along with other works in his extensive oeuvre.
Leonidas Kavakos is a Greek violinist and conductor. As a violinist, he has won prizes at several international violin competitions, including the Sibelius, Paganini, Naumburg, and Indianapolis competitions. He is an Onassis Foundation scholar. He has also recorded for record labels such as Sony/BMG and BIS. As a conductor, he was an artistic director of the Camerata Salzburg and has been a guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
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 the death of the composer to mark the centenary of the composer's birth. The competition is arranged by the Sibelius Society of Finland and the Sibelius Academy.
Robert Kajanus was a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher. In 1882, he founded the Helsinki Orchestral Society, Finland's first professional orchestra. As a conductor, he was also a notable champion and interpreter of the music of Jean Sibelius.
Andante festivo, JS 34a–b, is a single-movement chamber work for two violins, viola, and cello written in 1922 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. In 1938, the composer arranged the piece for string orchestra and timpani. On 1 January 1939, Sibelius conducted this version of Andante festivo during a live, worldwide broadcast, making it the only sound document of him interpreting his own music.
Alina Pogostkina is a Russian-born German violinist.
Erik Werner Tawaststjerna was a Finnish musicologist who also worked as a pianist, pedagogue, and critic. He is remembered as a significant biographer of Jean Sibelius.
The Tenth International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition took place in Helsinki from November 21 to 2 December 2010. It was won by Russian violinist Nikita Borisoglebsky, while Petteri Iivonen and Esther Yoo earned the 2nd and 3rd prizes.
Ana Chumachenco is an Italian born violinist of Argentinian, Ukrainian, and German descent.
Emmanuel Tjeknavorian is an Austrian violinist and conductor. His father, Loris Tjeknavorian is the Iranian-Armenian composer and conductor.
The String Quartet in D minor, Voces intimae, Op. 56, is a five-movement chamber piece for two violins, viola, and cello written in 1909 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is the only major work for string quartet of his mature period.
Cassazione, Op. 6, is a single-movement concert piece for orchestra written in 1904 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Its title refers to the cassation, a genre similar to the serenade, that was popular in the eighteenth century. Sibelius originally structured the work in five "episodes," although upon revision in 1905 he reduced this to four. Although his opus numbers were already in the forties, he assigned the unused number Op. 6 to this work, implying an earlier composition date.
Yuval Yaron is an Israel-born violinist living in the United States. In 1975, he won the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki, Finland. Since 2001, Yaron has been professor of University of California in Santa Barbara. Before that, he taught for some 20 years at the Indiana University in Bloomington.
Bomsori Kim is a South Korean classical violinist. She performs as a recitalist and as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors.
In Mo Yang, also known as Inmo Yang, is a South Korean violinist. He is the first prize winner of the 54th edition of the International Paganini Competition in Genoa, Italy in 2015 and the first prize winner of the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki, Finland in 2022. He is also the second prize winner in the senior division of the 2014 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in Austin, Texas. In April 2016, he had made a debut at Carnegie Hall at the Weill Recital Hall with the Danish National Symphony conducted by Fabio Luisi.
Kaija Saarikettu is a Finnish violinist and the Professor of strings and chamber music at Sibelius Academy.
