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Section Principal

Maija Kontunen

As Maija passed by the music class rehearsals at the Lappeenranta elementary school, she heard nothing but the tuning sound of the orchestra, which she remembers as a great experience. This led her to aspire to join the orchestra herself. Thus began a long musical career, from childhood music and singing festivals at the family's shared summer place by Lake Saimaa, through music classes, music school, and the Sibelius Academy, all the way to professional orchestras.

After her debut concert organized by the Sibelius Academy (with Leena Siukonen as the teacher), studies continued at the Vienna Music University as well as in the Netherlands,
under V. Liberman and Z. Vinnikov, and in various masterclasses with teachers such as Pavel Kogan, Pierre Amoyal, and Sylvia Rosenberg.

Immediately after receiving her violin diploma in 1982, Maija obtained the position of assistant concertmaster at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, where she played until 1999. After that, she began working as the second concertmaster at the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to orchestral work, it has been important and very inspiring for Maija to play both as a soloist and chamber musician in various ensembles in Turku and Helsinki. Maija has made numerous radio recordings as a violinist of the Kerava Quartet and the Temporale Piano Trio, and has served as one of the leaders of the Finnish Chamber Orchestra. She has also played in the Savonlinna Opera Festival Orchestra and the Avanti Orchestra.

Maija is also inspired by studying the Baroque style, and she completed a degree in Baroque violin performance in 2014. She is a founding member of the Turku Early Music community and plays the Baroque violin in various ensembles. Teaching is also increasingly of interest to Maija, and she has a few violin students. In addition to working as a musician, Maija's free time is devoted to exercise and various different hobbies such as ballet, going to theaters and art exhibitions, exploring high-quality restaurants in Turku, and of course, returning to her childhood scenery by the shores of Lake Saimaa in the summers.