Tiina Karakorpi, piano
Piotr Pawlak, piano
Irina Zahharenkova, piano
Petja Kainulainen, sello
Terhi Paldanius, viulu

Fanny Hensel (1805-1847): Sonata in G Minor (Zahharenkova)
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): Cello Sonata in G Minor, op. 65 (Kainulainen & Pawlak)

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Amanda Maier-Röntgen (1853-1894): Sonata for violin and piano in B Minor (Paldanius & Karakorpi)
Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Sonata in B Minor (Pawlak)

Érard was one of the pioneering instrument makers of the 19th century and the ingenious mechanical innovations introduced by his atelier made his grand pianos greatly sought after by the celebrated pianists of his day. A couple of fine specimens have found their way to Finland over the years, and we now have the pleasure of hearing a cavalcade of great sonatas performed on an instrument dating from the peak Érard years. At the keyboard will be laureates of the Maj Lind Piano Competition in decades past: Tiina Karakorpi in music by Maier-Röntgen, Piotr Pawlak by Chopin and Liszt, and Irina Zahharenkova by Hensel. Also joining them will be Terhi Paldanius (violin) and Petja Kainulainen (cello) from the Kamus Quartet.

Pre-concert talk at 18:00.

Tickets €15–35 + booking fee (from €1,50 www.lippu.fi)

Finnish pianist and doctor in music Tiina Karakorpi performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician. Following studies at the Sibelius Academy she has deepened her skills at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Accademia Internazionale Musicale di Roma, and at the European Chamber Music Academy. She’s been a laureate in many international competitions including Maj Lind and Vanna Spadafora. She has performed as soloist with the Tapiola Sinfoneitta and the Vatican Symphony Orchestra. Tiina Karakorpi is a member of KAAÅS piano trio and performs often with violinists Mirka Malmi and Linda Suolahti.

Irina Zahharenkova performs as pianist, fortepianist, and harpsichordist. The range of instruments have led her naturally to music from different eras. Born in Estonia, Irina Zahharenkova is a sought-after festival guest, chamber musician, and soloist of many orchestras’. She has performed at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr and Mendelssohn Festival, and as soloist with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been reworded in multiple competitions. Being successful in the International Bach Competition in Leipzig and the Prague Spring Competition has led to numerous performance invitations. Irina Zahharenkova has a widening discography including recordings of Mozart’s sonatas and J.S. Bach’s partitas.

Since the age of six, Terhi Paldanius has known that she wants to be professional violinist, and prior to that that she didn’t dream about anything else in particular. She has studied with Päivyt Meller and Tero Latvala among others. Before becoming a mother, Terhi didn’t cook. Now she has to master that as well. She still has another principal rule which she never breaks. She will play the slow movement of Sibelius’s quartet Voces Intimae only with the members of Kamus Quartet. Terhi also plays the viola, but despite that the violist of the Kamus Quartet, Jussi Tuhkanen and Terhi has never though fought over who’s the viola player in the quartet.

Polish pianist Piotr Pawlak, winner of the 5th International Maj Lind Piano Competition (2022) and laureate of a number of other competitions, has performed widely in Europe, United States, Russia, Georgia and China. As a soloist, he has played with many orchestras, including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2014, he was awarded a scholarship funded by Krystian Zimerman. Pawlak also studies conducting and plays the organ. He has a Master’s degree in Mathematics.

Chamber music and especially the Kamus Quartet has a special role in cellist Petja Kainulainen’s identity as a musician. The widely performing string quartet has a major ongoing recording project. They are recording all Beethoven’s string quartets, of which the first recording will be released this year. Kamus is the Artistic Director of Our Festival / Meidän Festivaali. Kainulainen teaches at the Espoo Music Institute, Sibelius Academy and at Centria University of Applied Sciences. He is also one of the Artistic Planners of Kino Soi! Concert Series. His instrument is a Claude-Augustin Miremont (1883) owned by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.