
BIO
Over the past decade, cellist Senja Rummukainen has grown from a very promising young cellist to the brightest focus among Finnish musicians. In 2014, she became famous on the Finnish concert scene after winning first prize at the Turku National Cello Competition. Just a year later, she was awarded the title of finalist at Porto’s Guilhermina Suggia Prize, and in 2019 she reached the final of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Saint Petersburg, where she was awarded 6th prize.
Her performances as a soloist with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmônica de Bogotá, Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales have been praised by the press, colleagues, and listeners. Rummukainen has performed as a soloist with Nicholas Collon, Dima Slobodeniouk, Leif Segerstam, Jonathon Heyward, and Jorma Panula. Notable performances in the 2024/2025 season include her appearance at the BBC Proms with Sakari Oramo and at the Salzburg Easter Festival with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
As a chamber musician, Rummukainen is one of the most popular in Finland. For many years, she has been a part of the musical backbone at the most important Finnish festivals, such as Kuhmo Chamber Music, Turku Music Festival, and Oulu Music Festival. She has also been the artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Summer Festival together with Johannes Piirto, Kasmir Uusitupa, Tami Pohjola, and Riina Piirilä from 2017 to 2021. Rummukainen has been performing all over Europe and has performed, for example, with Janine Jansen, Ilya Gringolts, and Augustin Hadelich. She has also given masterclasses at Cellofest in Helsinki and Porvoo Cello Academy, and she was a member of the jury in the Porvoo Cello Competition in 2021.
She started her studies at the East Helsinki Music Institute with Taru Aarnio and Allar Kaasik from 2001 to 2009. At the Sibelius Academy between 2009 and 2013, under the guidance of Marko Ylönen, she learned to handle large lines and large entities, completing her Bachelor of Music from 2013 to 2017. During this time, she also studied at the Folkwang Universität der Künste Essen with Prof. Young-Chang Cho (2014–2015) and spent an exchange year at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Prof. Truls Mørk (2016–2017). Following her bachelor’s degree, Rummukainen moved to Berlin to study with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the Universität der Künste. She completed her Master of Music there from 2017 to 2021 and continued with her Konzertexamen studies from 2021 onwards.
Rummukainen currently plays a David Tecchler cello from 1707 on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
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Over the past decade, cellist Senja Rummukainen has grown from a promising young musician to one of the brightest figures in Finnish classical music. She gained national recognition in 2014 after winning first prize at the Turku National Cello Competition. The following year, she became a finalist at Porto's Guilhermina Suggia Prize, and in 2019, she reached the final of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Saint Petersburg, where she was awarded sixth prize.
Rummukainen has performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Orquestra Filarmônica de Bogotá, the Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Her performances have been praised by critics, colleagues, and audiences alike.
She has collaborated with esteemed conductors such as Nicholas Collon, Dima Slobodeniouk, Leif Segerstam, Jonathon Heyward, and Jorma Panula. Highlights of her 2024/2025 season include an appearance at the BBC Proms with Sakari Oramo and a performance at the Salzburg Easter Festival with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen.
As a chamber musician, Rummukainen is one of Finland's most sought-after performers. She has played a crucial role in major Finnish festivals, including Kuhmo Chamber Music, the Turku Music Festival, and the Oulu Music Festival. From 2017 to 2021, she served as the artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Summer Festival alongside Johannes Piirto, Kasmir Uusitupa, Tami Pohjola, and Riina Piirilä. She has also performed across Europe with distinguished musicians such as Janine Jansen, Ilya Gringolts, and Augustin Hadelich. Additionally, she has given masterclasses at Cellofest in Helsinki and the Porvoo Cello Academy and served as a jury member for the Porvoo Cello Competition in 2021.
Rummukainen’s education has been shaped by exceptional teachers who introduced her to the limitless possibilities of music. She studied at the East Helsinki Music Institute with Taru Aarnio and Allar Kaasik from 2001 to 2009 before joining the Sibelius Academy Youth Department under Professor Marko Ylönen from 2009 to 2013. She continued her studies at the Sibelius Academy, earning her Bachelor of Music from 2013 to 2017 while also studying with Prof. Young-Chang Cho at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen (2014–2015) and spending an exchange year at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Prof. Truls Mørk (2016–2017). After completing her bachelor's degree, she moved to Berlin to study with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the Universität der Künste, where she obtained her Master of Music (2017–2021) and continued with her Konzertexamen studies from 2021 onwards.
Rummukainen strives to make her cello sound as smooth and sweet as she first envisioned when she heard it as a child at the East Helsinki Music Institute. She believes that the cello, with its timbre closest to the human voice, can express emotions more deeply than words. Whether performing intimate duets by Robert Schumann, chamber works, or the piercing passages of Dmitry Shostakovich’s concertos, her playing reaches directly into the listener’s emotional core.
She currently performs on a 1707 David Tecchler cello, generously loaned to her by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
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Sellisti Senja Rummukainen on kuluneen vuosikymmenen aikana kasvanut sellon huippulupauksesta suomalaismuusikoiden kirkkaimpaan keskiöön. Kotimaisen konserttielämän tietoisuuteen hän nousi vuonna 2014 voittamalla Turun sellokilpailun. Vain vuotta myöhemmin hänet palkittiin finalistina Porton Guilhermina Suggia -awardsissa, ja vuonna 2019 hän saavutti finaalipaikan Pietarin kansainvälisessä Pjotr Tšaikovski -kilpailussa.
Menestystä seuranneita esiintymisiä esimerkiksi BBC Symphony Orchestran, Göteborgin Sinfoniaorkesterin, Islannin Sinfoniaorkesterin, Helsingin kaupunginorkesterin, Radion Sinfoniaorkesterin ja Tapiola Sinfoniettan, solistina ovat ylistäneet niin lehdistö, kollegat kuin yleisötkin.
Rummukainen on esiintynyt solistina muun muassa Sakari Oramon, Nicholas Collonin, Dima Slobodenioukin, Leif Segerstamin, Jonathon Heywardin ja Jorman Panulan johdolla. Vuodet 2017–2021 Rummukainen toimi Helsingin kaupunginorkesterin toisena soolosellistinä.
Kamarimuusikkona Rummukainen on Suomen suosituimpia. Hän kuuluu tärkeimpien kotimaisten festivaalien, kuten Kuhmon kamarimusiikin, Turun musiikkijuhlien ja Oulun musiikkijuhlien soitannolliseen selkärankaan. Helsingissä Rummukainen kuului Kamarikesä-festivaalin taiteellisiin johtajiin. Hän esiintyy ympäri Eurooppaa ja on soittanut mm. Janine Jansenin, Ilya Gringoltsin, Olli Mustosen ja Augustin Hadelichin kanssa.
Kaudella 2024–2025 Rummukainen debytoi mm. Clevelandin orkesterin, BBC Concert Orchestran, Royal Scottish National Orchestran ja BBC National Orchestra of Walesin ja Bogotán Sinfoniaorkesterin kanssa. Festivaalidebyytit hän tekee arvostetulla BBC Proms Festivaalilla soittamalla Elgarin sellokonserton Sakari Oramon ja BBC:n Sinfoniaorkesterin kanssa, sekä Salzburgin Pääsiäisfestivaalilla soittamalla Esa-Pekka Salosen sellokonserton yhdessä säveltäjän ja Radion sinfoniaorkesterin kanssa.
Opettajat ovat avanneet Rummukaiselle aina uuden oven musiikin loputtomiin mahdollisuuksiin. Opintonsa Rummukainen aloitti Taru Aarnion ja Allar Kaasikin luokilla. Sibelius-Akatemiassa Marko Ylösen johdolla hän oppi käsittelemään suuria linjoja ja isoja kokonaisuuksia. Norjan musiikkikorkeakoulussa Truls Mørkin luokalla ja Essenin Folkwang-yliopistossa Young-Chang Chon johdolla hän löysi oman, persoonallisen äänensä, ja Berliinin musiikkiyliopiston Jens Peter Maintzin avustuksella löytyi vielä yksi osa Rummukaisen työkalupakkiin: taito paneutua teoksen pienten yksityiskohtien kauneuteen mikroskooppisella tarkkuudella.
Rummukainen on pitänyt mestarikursseja mm. CelloFestissä Helsingissä ja Porvoon Selloakatemiassa sekä toiminut tuomariston jäsenenä Porvoon sellokilpailussa.
Rummukainen tavoittelee sellostaan samaa puhuttelevaa ja sävykästä sointia, johon hän itsekin ihastui kuullessaan soitinta ensimmäistä kertaa Itä-Helsingin musiikkiopistossa kuusivuotiaana. Sellaisella soinnilla voi ilmaista tunteita ja herättää niitä muissa jopa tarkemmin kuin sanoilla, koska juuri sello on kaikista instrumenteista lähimpänä ihmisen äänenväriä.
Soitti Rummukainen Robert Schumannin intiimejä duoja tai kamarillista konserttoa tai vaikka Dmitri Šostakovitšin konserttojen paikoin viiltäviä juoksutuksia, hänen syvälle kehoon tunkeutuva soittonsa löytää tiensä suoraan kuulijan tunnekeskukseen.
Rummukainen soittaa tällä hetkellä Suomen Kulttuurirahaston omistamaa David Tecchler-selloa vuodelta 1707.
Teksti: Jaani Länsiö
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DANÍEL BJARNASON: Bow to String
ERNEST BLOCH: ”Schelomo” - Hebraic rhapsody for cello and orchestra B.39
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra op. 102
ANNA CLYNE: Dance
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Concerto for cello and orchestra in B Minor op. 104
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Silent woods for cello and orchestra
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Rondo
EDWARD ELGAR: Cello Concerto in E Minor op. 85
SEBASTIAN FAGERLUND: Silent words
CARLO GRAZIANI: Cello Concerto in C Major
JOSEPH HAYDN: Cello Concerto in C Major no. 1 Hob. VIIb/1
JOSEPH HAYDN: Cello Concerto in D Major no. 2 Hob. VIIb/2 op. 101
JACQUES IBERT: Concerto for cello and wind orchestra
JOONAS KOKKONEN: Cello Concerto
SALVATORE LANZETTI: Cello Concerto in D Major
JACQUES OFFENBACH: Les l’armes de Jacqueline
SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Sinfonia concertante in E Minor op. 125
OTTORINO RESPIGHI: Adagio von variazioni
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: Cello Concerto in A Minor no. 1 op. 33
AULIS SALLINEN: Nocturnal dances of Don Juanquijote op. 58
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN: Cello Concerto
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto in A Minor op. 129
DMITRI ŠOSTAKOVITŠ: Cello Concerto in E-Flat Major no. 1 op. 107
PJOTR TŠAIKOVSKI: Rococo variations op. 33
MIESCYSŁAW WEINBERG: Cello Concerto in D