Tuija Hakkila, pianist

Tuija Hakkila studied at the Sibelius Academy with Liisa Pohjola and Eero Heinonen, and continued her studies at the Paris Conservatoire. She studied 20th-century piano music with Claude Helffer in Paris and Classical performance and early pianos with Malcolm Bilson in the United States. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University in New York in 1985/86. Other influential teachers have included György Sebök and William Pleeth.

Tuija Hakkila has appeared at many festivals in Finland, and performed regularly as a visiting soloist with Finnish orchestras. In addition, Hakkila has performed as a soloist, in chamber groups and as an accompanist throughout Europe, the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Africa and South America. She has recorded and made broadcasts on radio and television in several countries. She has collaborated with eminent musicians such as Vera Beths, Anner Bijlsma, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Mikael Helasvuo, Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, Anssi Karttunen, Alexei Lubimov, Karita Mattila, Andres Mustonen, Petteri Salomaa, John Storgårds, and performed with conductors like Okko Kamu, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leif Segerstam and Sakari Oramo.

Her repertoire ranges from Bach to contemporary music. She has developed her interest in period-instrument performances, presenting Classical and Romantic programmes on period pianos. She works with a number of today's composers, and is invited to give many world premiere performances.

Tuija Hakkila's solo discography includes the complete cycle of Mozart keyboard sonatas for which she has won acclaim in the world press, a recital of 20th-century French and Finnish piano music, and a world premiere recording of early 19th-century music by the Finnish Lithander brothers. In addition, she has recorded Niccolò Castiglioni's chamber music, Haydn flute trios, contemporary music, Gabriel Fauré's music for the cello and piano, and all Beethoven's cello and keyboard works.

Tuija Hakkila has held a senior position in piano music at the Sibelius Academy since 1987. She has also taught the fortepiano and given seminars on performance techniques. In the autumn of 2005, she graduated from the Sibelius Academy as a Doctor of Music, performing the fortepiano sonatas by W.A. Mozart in her artistic work. Tuija Hakkila has also acted as the artistic director of the Music in the Castle festival in Hämeenlinna from 1989 until 2003, and artistic director of the Sibelius Academy’s Concert Office from 1999 until 2002.

Read Review: Debut in New York

Mats Liljeroos, Huvudstadsbladet: "()..Även Saariaho har mycket på hjärtat och målar i såväl den nu uruppförda, närapå chopinskt skimrande Prélude som i den mer mörkstämda, nästan lisztskt-rachmaninovskt färgade Ballade upp stämningsbilder av stor emotionell genomslagskraft, samtidigt som hon (Saariaho) ett konstruktivt sätt polemiserar mot den Meriläinen nyttjade postserialistiska pianotekniken. Allt minutiöst analyserat och generöst serverat av Hakkila." Tuija Hakkila, Chopin, Wieck-Shumann, Moscheles, Saariaho, Meriläinen, Debussy. Sibelius-akademin 3.4.2007.

FORTHCOMING CONCERTS:

16 November 2008, Lux musicae, Sundby slott, (Siuntio, Finland) recital Tuija Hakkila, fortepiano - Mozart, Haydn.

27 November 2008, Sellosali (Espoo, Finland), Mozart-pantomime, Tanssiteatteri ERI & Meta4 & Tuija Hakkila.


PAST:
6 October 2008, Festival d'ile de France, Paris
7 October 2008, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand scéne nationale

15 & 17 August 2008, Mostly Mozart Festival, New York, USA

Wednesday 17 October 2007 at 8:00pm, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City Duo Mikael Helasvuo & Tuija Hakkila

Sunday 7 October 2007 at 7:00pm, Hämeenlinna (Fi), Raatihuone

Wednesday 3 October, Helsinki (FI) Balder-hall at 7:00pm, Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, violin, Helsinki Early Music

Thursday 6 September, Lappeenranta (FI) Helkiö-hall at 7:00pm, Lappeenranta City Orchestra
Friday / September, same concert in Imatra (FI) Karelia-hall at 7:00pm

Rauma Festivo (FI)

Tuesday 3 April 2007 at 7:00 pm, Sibelius Acadamy, Concert Hall: Debussy - Sibelius - Meriläinen - Janácek - Saariaho (world premiere)

Sunday 15 April 2007 at 7:00pm, Pianoaura 2007, Turku, Finland

Thursday 26 April 2007 at 7:00pm, Tuija Hakkila, fortepiano, Heli Haapala, flute, The Chamber Orchestra of Lappland - Rovaniemi City Orchestra

Friday 10 November 2006 at 7:00 pm, Helsinki, Temppeliaukio Church, RSO, cond. Sakari Oramo, Mozart Piano concertos.

Friday 1 September 2006 at 7:00 pm, Mustio Church, Finland, flautist Mikael Helasvuo

The latest CD-recording:

ALBA RECORDS 6/2006:
Thomas Byström, Three Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin op. 1