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.
The music of Finland can be roughly divided into folk music, classical and contemporary art music, and contemporary popular music.
Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste is a Finnish conductor and violinist.
Kaija Anneli Saariaho was a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the BBC, the New York Philharmonic, the Salzburg Music Festival, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Finnish National Opera, among others. In a 2019 composers' poll by BBC Music Magazine, Saariaho was ranked the greatest living composer.
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.
Jorma Juhani Panula is a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher of conducting. He has mentored many Finnish conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä, Klaus Mäkelä and Tarmo Peltokoski.
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1882 by Robert Kajanus, the Philharmonic Orchestra was the first permanent orchestra in the Nordic countries. Today, its primary concert venue is the Helsinki Music Centre; the current chief conductor is Jukka-Pekka Saraste, who has held his post since the start of the 2023-24 season..
Jorma Kalervo Hynninen is a Finnish baritone who performs regularly with the world's major opera companies. He has also worked in opera administration.
Arto Noras is a Finnish cellist who is one of Finland's most celebrated instrumentalists and amongst the most outstanding internationally acknowledged cellists of his generation.
Kari Kriikku is a Finnish classical clarinetist.
Sasha Aleksi Mäkilä is a Finnish conductor.
Jukka Santeri Tiensuu is a Finnish contemporary classical composer, harpsichordist, pianist and conductor.
Juhani Henrik Lagerspetz is a Finnish pianist trained at the Turku Conservatory and the Sibelius Academy, where he serves as a lecturer. He was prized by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation in 1994.
Glenda Dawn Goss is an American author and music historian whose special interests are music and culture, early modernism, critical editing, and European-American points of cultural contact. Her most notable work has revolved around the life and works of the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius.
Marjo Anneli Arho is a Finnish music educator, writer and composer.
Olga Shishkina is a Russian born gusli and kantele artist currently residing in Helsinki, Finland. She is known for her virtuosity and innovation reflected in developing new techniques and expanding the repertoire of the instrument.
The Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation is a Finnish non-profit organization founded in 1942 by industrialist Antti Wihuri and his wife, Jenny Wihuri, with the purpose of supporting cultural and economic development in Finland. The Foundation awards scholarships and prizes on an annual basis on October 9, the birthday of Antti Wihuri. Between 1942 and 2016, the Foundation had awarded grants of 274 million of euros. In 2016, the total value of grants and prizes awarded by the Foundation amounted to 11,2 million euros.
Jukka Perko is a Finnish saxophonist.
Sebastian Hilli is a Finnish composer. Hilli studied composition at the Sibelius Academy and at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Lauri Kilpiö, Michael Jarrell and Veli-Matti Puumala. Hilli's works are published exclusively by Schott Music.
