Adjust text size:

Ulla Perksalo

Ulla Perksalo (born in 1959) began playing the viola at the age of 10 at the Hyvinkää Music Institute. After school, she pursued studies in physics and mathematics at the University of Helsinki, while continuing her music lessons and playing in various orchestras, including the Hyvinkää Orchestra. Alongside her studies, Ulla worked as a violin teacher at the Central Uusimaa and Hyvinkää Music Institutes.

In 1985, she shifted her focus from physics to studying the viola at the Turku Conservatory under the guidance of Veikko Kosonen. Teaching took a back seat when Perksalo was appointed as the assistant principal viola in the Turku City Orchestra in 1988. In 1989, she transitioned to the principal viola position. After serving as principal viola for 30 years, she became a tutti player in the orchestra in the fall of 2019.

Ulla has also played chamber music with the Turku Ensemble. Performing with the Helsinki Festival Orchestra under the direction of Olli Mustonen on tours and concerts has provided a refreshing international experience and musician friends from various parts of Finland. Teaching resurfaced in her life during her 40th birthday crisis, and since 1999, Ulla has worked as a part-time teacher at the Turku Conservatory.

In her free time, Ulla enjoys good food and wine. At her summer cottage in Kangasala, she enjoys paddling and frying munkki (a Finnish pastry) at the local market square. Cross-country skiing is her favorite sport, but you might also spot Ulla out for a run.