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Pirjo Klemola

I was born in Lapua in 1959 and started learning to play the violin at the Lapua Music Institute in 1968 under the guidance of Kauko Tynjälä, during a time when music institutes were beginning to be established even in smaller towns. I continued my studies in Seinäjoki at the South Ostrobothnia Music Institute under the tutelage of Matti Alanko, and also played
in the Seinäjoki orchestra. During high school, I attended the youth department of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where I took violin lessons from Erkki Kantola. In 1978, I transferred to the general department of the Sibelius Academy, where my teachers included Erkki Kantola, Anja Ignatius, and Jouko Heikkilä. I also found Paavo Pohjola's chamber music lessons and playing under his direction in the Espoo Chamber Orchestra invaluable experiences.

After graduating from the Sibelius Academy in 1984, I worked as a freelance musician, playing with the Helsinki City Orchestra from 1984 to 1985. From 1985 to 1986, I worked as a substitute in the Kokkola Orchestra and also played in the Central Ostrobothnia Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Juha Kankaan. After leaving Kokkola, I returned to Helsinki to teach at the Espoo Music Institute and work as a freelance musician. Since 1987, I have been a violinist in the second violin section of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.