Katri Nikkanen

Katri Nikkanen began her music studies in Ilmajoki at the age of five, first with the accordion and soon after with violin and piano. She studied under Aarno Salmela and earned a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy under Professors Tuomas Haapanen and Erkki Kantola.

From the age of 10, she has attended music camps and various masterclasses and taken study trips to Budapest and Berlin.

She has performed as a soloist with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Chamber, and the Seinäjoki City Orchestra, as well as in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Nikkanen has played in the first violin section of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestre since 1987 and served as third concertmaster for 25 years. Nikkanen is also an active chamber musician and performs annually in her own concerts in Finland and abroad.

She has taught violin since the age of 15, working at the Ilmajoki Music Institute, Espoo Music School, and Pirkanmaa Music Institute, and since 2002 as a part-time teacher at the Valkeakoski Performing Arts Institute. She has directed the Päivölä String Camp since 2013.