Pekka Kuusisto

Described by The Guardian as ‘a violinist whose rare gift is to become rather than perform the music he plays’, the Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is internatio- nally renowned for his fresh approach to the repertoire. An advocate of new music, Kuusisto premiered Sebastian Fagerlund’s Violin Concerto and regularly collab- orates with composers such as Nico Muhly and Thomas Adès.
In addition to his performances as a concerto soloist, Kuusisto regularly directs from the violin and engages with performers across the artistic spectrum, with unique collaborations including the juggler Jay Gilligan and the folk musician Sam Amidon. Finnish traditional music serves as a source of inspiration, greatly influen- cing his approach to the violin.
Kuusisto is artistic director of award-winning ‘Our Festival’, based in Järven- pää, Sibelius’s home town. He is a recipient of the Nordic Council Music Prize, and his residencies have included the Aldeburgh Festival and the Robeco Zomer- concerten of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He plays a Giovanni Battista Gua- dagnini violin of 1754 kindly loaned by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.