Petteri Iivonen

 
Hailed by Il Gazzettino as an artist with “flawless technique along with expressive interpretation,” Finnish violinist Petteri Iivonen has been praised for his “control and emotional sensitivity” and “colorful details and thoughtful phrasing” (Helsingin Sanomat).

Silver Medalist and Special Prize winner at the 10th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, Mr. Iivonen is currently following in the footsteps of great violinists of the past such as Rodolphe Kreutzer, Pierre Rode, Pierre Baillot and Giovanni Battista Viotti as the Premier Violon Solo of the Opéra National de Paris.

Highlights of Mr. Iivonen’s solo career include his appearances with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Orchestre de Paris, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Helena Symphony, L'orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, New York Classical Symphony Orchestra, New European Ensemble, Orchestre de Chambre Paris, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, MAV Symphony Orchestra Budapest, Orchestra Sinfonica del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional de Bolivia, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Zhambyl State Philharmonic, Israel Camerata Jerusalem, and with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. In addition, he has performed as a soloist with all of the major orchestras in Finland.

Mr. Iivonen has also been heard in concerts at the Museé du Louvre in Paris, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Alice Tully Hall Lincoln Center, Tokyo Opera City, Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Musikverein Wien, Jerusalem Theatre and the Kodaly Center. He has appeared as a soloist with esteemed conductors such as Klaus Mäkelä, Lahav Shani, Giancarlo Guerrero, Sakari Oramo, Yoav Talmi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Okko Kamu, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Leif Segerstam, John Storgårds, Vello Pähn, Hannu Lintu, Paul Goodwin, Arvo Volmer, George Manahan and Chi-Yong Chung, among others. In 2010, Mr. Iivonen performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto under the baton of Zubin Mehta.

As a devoted chamber musician, Mr. Iivonen has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Lang Lang, Matti Salminen, Jasmine Choi, Nobuko Imai, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Julie Fuchs, Seong-Jin Cho, Michel Lethiec, Boris Giltburg, Lilli Paasikivi, Clive Greensmith, Atar Arad, Monica Groop, Itamar Golan, Frans Helmerson, Michaela Martin, Arto Noras, Regis Pasquier, Paul Neubauer, Martin Beaver, along with the Emerson, Michelangelo and Tokyo String Quartets.
Through the generosity of Karolina Blaberg Stiftung Mr. Iivonen plays a G. B. Guadagnini (1746).