Notable Alumni of University of the Arts Helsinki [Sorted List]

1. Nils-Eric Fougstedt

1910-1961 (aged 51)

choir director conductor composer

Nils-Eric Fougstedt was a Finnish conductor and composer.

2. Lennart Segerstråle

1892-1975 (aged 83)

painter illustrator graphic artist

Lennart Rafael Segerstråle was a Finnish painter and graphic artist. He was best known for his murals and frescoes. Alongside his major works, Segerstråle made woodcuts, etchings, drypoint works, and lithographs.

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3. Jimmy López

1978-. (aged 48)

pianist conductor composer

Jimmy López is a classical music composer from Lima, Peru. He has won several international awards and has been nominated to a Latin Grammy Awards. Pieces composed by him have been performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, MDR Leipzig Radio...

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4. Maggie Gripenberg

1881-1976 (aged 95)

teacher ballet dancer painter ballerina choreographer

Margarita Maria “Maggie” Gripenberg was a pioneer of modern dance in Finland. She was the first to introduce Dalcroze Eurhythmics to Finland and modeled her early works on the improvisational style of Isadora Duncan. As a dancer, choreographer and teacher, she laid the educational foundations for the study of movement and dance. She was recognized by numerous awards for her...

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5. Tauno Marttinen

1912-2008 (aged 96)

composer conductor

Tauno Olavi Marttinen was a Finnish composer of contemporary classical music.

6. Ukri Merikanto

1950-2010 (aged 60)

sculptor visual artist teacher

Ukri Uolevi Merikanto was a Finnish sculptor.

7. Jarmo Saari

1970-. (aged 56)

record producer guitarist composer

Jarmo Ilari Saari is a Finnish guitarist, composer and producer. He has played in the bands XL, ZetaBoo and Anna-Mari Kähärän orkesteri as well as published three solo records as a part of his Solu-project. In 2012 Jarmo Saari founded the band Jarmo Saari Republic together with three drummers. In 2012 Saari was also awarded with the Finland Award (Finnish:...

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8. Pipsan Saarinen Swanson

1905-1979 (aged 74)

interior designer

Eva-Lisa "Pipsan" Saarinen Swanson was a Finnish-American industrial, interior, and textile designer based in Michigan. She was known for her contemporary furniture, textile, and product designs.

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9. Kari Kriikku

1960-. (aged 66)

clarinetist musician

Kari Kriikku is a Finnish classical clarinetist.

10. Erkki Salmenhaara

1941-2002 (aged 61)

composer musicologist music critic writer

Erkki Olavi Salmenhaara was a Finnish composer and musicologist.

11. Helvi Leiviskä

1902-1982 (aged 80)

writer music educator librarian composer

Helvi Lemmikki Leiviskä was a Finnish composer, writer, music educator, and librarian at the Sibelius Academy.

12. Birger Carlstedt

1907-1975 (aged 68)

painter

John Birger Jarl Carlstedt was a Finnish painter and a pioneer of Modern Art in Finland. His painting style went through various changes, with influences from Impressionism, Expressionism, Futurism and abstract art.

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13. Verner Thomé

1878-1953 (aged 75)

painter

Verner Thomé was a Finnish Post-Impressionist graphic artist. He was influenced by Vitalism a German-Scandinavian movement that incorporated Nietzsche's philosophy.

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14. Sasha Mäkilä

1973-. (aged 53)

conductor

Sasha Aleksi Mäkilä is a Finnish conductor.

15. Marian Petrescu

1970-. (aged 56)

pianist jazz musician

Marian Petrescu is a Romanian jazz pianist. Playing since the age of 4, he has been on the jazz scene since the age of 15 after appearing at Pori Jazz. He is known for his work with the renowned jazz guitarist Andreas Öberg, and many others.

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16. Jukka Linkola

1955-. (aged 71)

composer pianist conductor jazz musician

Jukka Tapio Linkola is a Finnish jazz pianist and classical composer. He has composed music for the Finnish National Opera and led several jazz Big Bands. In addition he has won two Jussi awards for his film music, which another came from the 1988 film The Glory and Misery of Human Life. His euphonium concerto is considered a standard in...

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17. Antti Siirala

1979-. (aged 47)

pianist

Antti Aleksi Siirala is a Finnish pianist.

18. Väinö Raitio

1891-1945 (aged 54)

composer

Väinö Eerikki Raitio was part of the small group of composers who appeared in the Finnish art music scene in the 1920s with a new cosmopolitan music style, very different from the dominant conservative National Romanticism. He was born in Sortavala, Grand Duchy of Finland.

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19. Usko Meriläinen

1930-2004 (aged 74)

film score composer conductor composer

Usko Aatos Meriläinen was a Finnish composer. He was born in Tampere.

20. Yrjö Kilpinen

1892-1959 (aged 67)

composer

Yrjö Henrik Kilpinen was a Finnish composer. He was born in Helsinki, and in 1907 he started his studies in the Helsingin Musiikkiopisto (later named Sibelius Academy). In 1910 Kilpinen moved to Vienna to continue his studies and from 1913 to 1914 he studied in Berlin. He travelled extensively in Scandinavia and central Europe, especially Germany. He became an honorary...

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21. Jaakko Mäntyjärvi

1963-. (aged 63)

choir director composer translator percussionist linguist

Jaakko Mäntyjärvi is a Finnish composer of classical music, and a professional translator.

22. Jukka Perko

1968-. (aged 58)

music educator saxophonist composer

Jukka Perko is a Finnish saxophonist.

23. Erkki Aaltonen

1910-1990 (aged 80)

violinist conductor composer

Erkki Aaltonen was a Finnish composer.

24. Jussi Jalas

1908-1985 (aged 77)

conductor university teacher pianist composer music educator

Jussi Jalas was a Finnish conductor and composer.

25. Jalmari Ruokokoski

1886-1936 (aged 50)

painter

Joel Jalmari Ruokokoski, known as Jali was a Finnish Expressionist painter. Although most of his works were landscapes and still-lifes, he is probably best known for a series of portraits (including numerous self-portraits) painted mostly during the 1910s. Although Ruokokoski never officially joined the November Group, (Marraskuun ryhmä), he participated in the galleries set up by the group.

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26. Paavo Heininen

1938-2022 (aged 84)

university teacher pianist pedagogue composer composition teacher

Paavo Johannes Heininen was a Finnish composer and pianist.

27. Arto Noras

1942-. (aged 84)

musician cellist

Arto Noras is a Finnish cellist who is one of Finland's most celebrated instrumentalists and amongst the most outstanding internationally acknowledged cellists of his generation.

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28. Taneli Kuusisto

1905-1988 (aged 83)

composer organist pianist university teacher choir director

Taneli Kuusisto was a Finnish composer, music critic, teacher and choir leader.

29. Adolf Paul

1863-1943 (aged 80)

writer screenwriter

Adolf Georg Wiedersheim-Paul was a Swedish novelist and playwright. He lived most of his adult life in Berlin, Germany, where he was a friend of Swedish writer August Strindberg, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, Norwegian painter Edvard Munch and Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

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30. Erkki Toivanen

1938-2011 (aged 73)

journalist television presenter

Erkki Matti Toivanen was a Finnish journalist and presenter for Yleisradio.

31. Erik Bergman

1911-2006 (aged 95)

composer conductor music educator choir director

Erik Valdemar Bergman was a composer of classical music from Finland.

32. Juhani Aaltonen

1935-. (aged 91)

composer saxophonist jazz musician flautist

Juhani Aaltonen is a Finnish jazz saxophonist and flautist.

33. Kim Borg

1919-2000 (aged 81)

music educator composer opera singer

Kim Borg was a Finnish bass, teacher and composer. He had a wide-ranging, resonant, warm voice.

34. Anu Komsi

1967-. (aged 59)

opera singer

Anu Komsi is a Finnish operatic and concert soprano.

35. Eva Ryynänen

1915-2001 (aged 86)

sculptor

Eva Ryynänen was a Finnish sculptor known especially for her work in wood.

36. Matti Lehtinen

1922-2022 (aged 100)

opera singer professor

Matti Kalervo Lehtinen was a Finnish operatic baritone, a long-term member of the Finnish National Opera, and professor of singing at the Sibelius Academy. He appeared at the Savonlinna Opera Festival and international opera houses, and as an oratorio and lieder singer.

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37. Erna Tauro

1916-1993 (aged 77)

pianist music educator composer

Erna Tauro, was a Finnish-Swedish pianist and composer, as well as a theatre musician and teacher. She is remembered for her collaboration with Tove Jansson.

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38. Victor Westerholm

1860-1919 (aged 59)

painter

Victor Axel Westerholm was a Finnish landscape painter, especially known for founding the Önningeby artists' colony.

39. Aarre Merikanto

1893-1958 (aged 65)

composer pianist

Aarre Merikanto was a Finnish composer.

40. George de Godzinsky

1914-1994 (aged 80)

pianist conductor composer

George de Godzinsky was a Finnish composer, pianist and conductor. De Godzinsky is known for his Schlager music although he composed music for movies and operettas.

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41. Kalevi Kiviniemi

1958-2024 (aged 66)

organist

Kalevi Ilmari Kiviniemi was a Finnish concert organist. He gave more than 2,000 concerts, and his discography includes nearly 200 titles, many of them featuring significant and unique organs in the US, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany. Kiviniemi was also regarded as a distinguished improviser. He was the first to record the complete organ works by...

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42. Dima Slobodeniouk

1975-. (aged 51)

violinist conductor

Dima Slobodeniouk is a Finnish conductor.

43. Einar Englund

1916-1999 (aged 83)

pianist film score composer composer

Sven Einar Englund was a Finnish composer.

44. Kuutti Lavonen

1960-. (aged 66)

photographer photo artist graphic artist professor painter

Kuutti Lavonen is a Finnish painter, photographer, and graphic artist, who has worked as professor at the Academy of Fine Arts (Finland). His poetry book Havahtumisia was published in 2005 by Kirjapaja.

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45. Elina Vähälä

1975-. (aged 51)

violinist

Elina Vähälä is a Finnish classical violinist.

46. Vilho Lampi

1898-1936 (aged 38)

painter

Vilho Henrik Lampi was a Finnish painter who is best known for his self-portraits and paintings of Liminka and the people who lived there.

47. Paavo Berglund

1929-2012 (aged 83)

violinist conductor

Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund OBE was a Finnish conductor and violinist.

48. Selim Palmgren

1878-1951 (aged 73)

pianist conductor composer

Selim Gustaf Adolf Palmgren was a Finnish composer, pianist, and conductor. Palmgren was born in Pori, Finland, February 16, 1878. He studied at the Conservatory in Helsinki from 1895 to 1899, then continued his piano studies in Berlin with Conrad Ansorge, Wilhelm Berger and Ferruccio Busoni. He conducted choral and orchestral societies in his own country and made several very...

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49. Henrik Otto Donner

1939-2013 (aged 74)

composer jazz musician film score composer trumpeter

Henrik Otto Donner was a Finnish composer, musician and all-round music personality. His musical styles varied from pop and rock music to jazz, electronic music and contemporary classical music. Donner's personal instrument was trumpet. He was a member of the famous Finland Swedish Donner family.

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50. Max Lilja

1975-. (aged 51)

record producer cellist composer

Max Lilja is a Finnish cello player. He is best known as a founding member of the Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica, a band he left in 2001 to join the Finnish thrash metal band Hevein. Beginning in 2007, Lilja has been a recording and touring member of Tarja Turunen's solo band. Throughout his career, Lilja has continued to play...

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51. Matias Kupiainen

1983-. (aged 43)

guitarist record producer

Matias Kupiainen is a Finnish guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the current guitarist in Stratovarius.

52. Georg Malmstén

1902-1981 (aged 79)

composer film director actor singer

Georg Malmstén was a Finnish singer, musician, composer, orchestra conductor and actor. He was one of the most prolific entertainers in Finland of his time, producing over 800 records in numerous genres. In late 1930s, owning a record company, he made about half of his releases under the pseudonym Matti Reima. He was the oldest of three children of a...

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53. Minja Koskela

1987-. (aged 39)

writer politician

Minja Koskela is a Finnish musician, author, politician, member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature, and chair of the Left Alliance. She has represented Helsinki since April 2023 as member of the Left Alliance.

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54. Sam Vanni

1908-1992 (aged 84)

sculptor painter photographer

Sam Vanni was a Finnish painter. He is considered to be the pioneer of abstract art in Finland.

55. Olli Ahvenlahti

1949-. (aged 77)

music arranger composer record producer jazz pianist pianist

Olli Ahvenlahti is a Finnish pianist, composer and conductor of Russian descent.

56. Jutta Zilliacus

1925-. (aged 101)

politician writer journalist

Jutta Armelle Zilliacus is a Finnish-born ethnic Estonian journalist and author in the Swedish language. She was also a politician, and served as a Member of Parliament for the Swedish People's Party for Helsinki from 1975 to 1987 and a member of the Helsinki City Council from 1968 to 1984.

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57. Okko Kamu

1946-. (aged 80)

violinist conductor concertmaster

Okko Tapani Kamu is a Finnish orchestral conductor and violinist. He has a considerable discography and has held leading positions with several Scandinavian orchestras.

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58. Ilkka Kuusisto

1933-2025 (aged 92)

composer

Ilkka Taneli Kuusisto was a Finnish opera composer, conductor, choirmaster, and organist. He began his career as a church organist, worked for the broadcaster Yle and as artistic director of the publisher Musiikki-Fazer. He was choirmaster of the Finnish National Opera chorus and the Radio Symphony Chorus, and was general manager of the opera from 1984 and 1992. He was...

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59. Elin Danielson-Gambogi

1861-1919 (aged 58)

visual artist painter

Elin Kleopatra Danielson-Gambogi was a Finnish painter, best known for her realist works and portraits. Danielson-Gambogi was part of the first generation of Finnish women artists who received professional education in art, the so-called "painter sisters' generation". The group also included Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946), Helena Westermarck (1857-1938), and Maria Wiik (1853-1928).

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60. Timo K. Mukka

1944-1973 (aged 29)

writer painter poet screenwriter

Timo Kustaa Mukka was a Finnish author who wrote about the lives of people in Lapland.

61. Aulis Sallinen

1935-. (aged 91)

composer musicologist

Aulis Heikki Sallinen is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. His music has been variously described as "remorselessly harsh", a "beautifully crafted amalgam of several 20th-century styles", and "neo-romantic". Sallinen studied at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen. He has had works commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, and has also written seven operas, eight symphonies, concertos for...

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62. Matti Salminen

1945-. (aged 81)

opera singer performing artist

Matti Kalervo Salminen is a Finnish operatic bass, now retired, who has sung at the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival. He is distinguished by an imposing figure and height (6' 5"), a cavernous, heavy, dark voice with an expansive upper register, and an expressive face. According to one reviewer, in his prime...

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63. Magnus Lindberg

1958-. (aged 68)

pianist composer musician

Magnus Gustaf Adolf Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He was the New York Philharmonic's composer-in-residence from 2009 to 2012 and the London Philharmonic Orchestra's composer-in-residence from 2014 to 2017.

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64. Jorma Panula

1930-. (aged 96)

composer conductor music educator university teacher

Jorma Juhani Panula is a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher of conducting. He has mentored many Finnish conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä, Klaus Mäkelä and Tarmo Peltokoski.

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65. Antero Manninen

1973-. (aged 53)

musician cellist

Antero Manninen, also known by band members as Mr. Cool, is a session musician and former band member of Finnish Cello metal quartet Apocalyptica. He was an official member but did not write the music and left in 1999 due to prior commitments, although he has come back to help the band several years ago. His seated, calm composure playing...

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66. Osmo Vänskä

1953-. (aged 73)

conductor clarinetist composer

Osmo Antero Vänskä is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer.

67. Kalevi Aho

1949-. (aged 77)

composer university teacher

Kalevi Ensio Aho is a Finnish composer.

68. Mona-Liisa Nousiainen

1983-2019 (aged 36)

cross-country skier accordionist

Mona-Liisa Nousiainen was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the World Cup between 2002 and 2018. Her best World Cup finish was first place in a sprint event in Liberec, in the Czech Republic, on 12 January 2013.

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69. Tamara Lund

1941-2005 (aged 64)

opera singer film actor

Tamara Adele Lund-Ioniță was a Finnish soprano singer and actress. She was born in Turku and was a graduate of the Sibelius Academy. She performed in the Finnish National Opera from 1967 and at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich from 1974 to 1987. Lund was the mother of the Finnish singer Maria Lund. Her second spouse was the Romanian...

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70. Toivo Kuula

1883-1918 (aged 35)

composer conductor

Toivo Timoteus Kuula was a Finnish composer and conductor of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods, who emerged in the wake of Jean Sibelius, under whom he studied privately from 1906 to 1908. The core of Kuula's oeuvre are his many works for voice and orchestra, in particular the Stabat mater (1914–18; completed by Madetoja), The Sea-Bathing Maidens (1910), Son of...

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71. Paavo Lötjönen

1968-. (aged 58)

musician cellist

Paavo Lötjönen is a cello player for Finnish band Apocalyptica. Paavo comes from a family where both of his parents were professional musicians. At the age of 6, he took a cello and decided that would be the instrument he would play all his life. Like fellow band members Perttu Kivilaakso and Eicca Toppinen, he attended Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

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72. Kaj Chydenius

1939-2024 (aged 85)

singer composer politician

Kaj Oskar Chydenius was a Finnish musician and composer, probably best known for his left-wing political songs interpreted by various artists.

73. Pekka Kuusisto

1976-. (aged 50)

violinist composer jazz musician

Pekka Kuusisto is a Finnish musician.

74. Jukka-Pekka Saraste

1956-. (aged 70)

violinist conductor

Jukka-Pekka Saraste is a Finnish conductor and violinist.

75. Susanna Mälkki

1969-. (aged 57)

conductor cellist

Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki is a Finnish conductor and cellist.

76. Mikko Franck

1979-. (aged 47)

violinist conductor

Mikko Ilmari Franck is a Finnish conductor and violinist.

77. Reidar Särestöniemi

1925-1981 (aged 56)

painter

Reidar Särestöniemi was a Finnish painter from Finnish Lapland. He is considered one of the greatest Finland-Lappish artists in the entire history of Finland.

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78. Kirsi Kunnas

1924-2021 (aged 97)

prose writer writer children's writer translator poet

Kirsi Marjatta Kunnas was a Finnish poet, children's literature author and translator into Finnish. Her oeuvre consists of poems, fairy tale books, drama, translations (e.g. Lewis Carroll, Federico García Lorca) and non-fiction. Her books have been translated into Swedish, English, German, French, Hungarian, Estonian and Polish. She received several awards in Finland for her literary work.

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79. Kaija Saariaho

1952-2023 (aged 71)

composer conductor

Kaija Anneli Saariaho was a Finnish composer based in Paris, France. During the course of her career, Saariaho received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet and from IRCAM for the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the BBC, the New York Philharmonic, the Salzburg Music Festival, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Finnish National Opera, among others. In a...

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80. Einojuhani Rautavaara

1928-2016 (aged 88)

university teacher musicologist composer

Einojuhani Rautavaara was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. These include eight symphonies, nine operas and fifteen concertos, as well as numerous vocal and chamber works. Having written early works using 12-tone serial techniques, his later music may be described...

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81. Eicca Toppinen

1975-. (aged 51)

musician drummer composer cellist record producer

Eino Matti "Eicca" Toppinen is a Finnish cellist, songwriter, producer, and arranger. In 1993 he formed the quartet Apocalyptica.

82. Linda Brava

1970-. (aged 56)

violinist actor model

Linda Magdalena Cullberg Lampenius, better known by her maiden name Linda Lampenius and international stage name Linda Brava, is a Finnish classical concert violinist. Named as one of the most versatile and accomplished players of her generation, Brava has also performed pop, rock, folk, techno, film, jazz, and world music, among others.

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83. Erja Lyytinen

1976-. (aged 50)

singer songwriter guitarist

Erja Lyytinen is a Finnish vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter.

84. Leif Segerstam

1944-2024 (aged 80)

conductor composer pianist violist musician

Leif Selim Segerstam was a Finnish music composer, conductor, violinist, violist, and pianist. He is especially best known for writing over 300 symphonies, along with other works. He held many important positions in Finnish music industry both in Finland and around the world.

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85. Perttu Kivilaakso

1978-. (aged 48)

composer cellist

Perttu Päivö Kullervo Kivilaakso is a cello player for Finnish band Apocalyptica. Like fellow band members Eicca Toppinen and Paavo Lötjönen, he attended Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He plays a German 19th century cello; he started playing the cello when he was 5 years old and joined Apocalyptica for their third studio album Cult. Kivilaakso played in Apocalyptica's 1995 line...

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86. Eero Järnefelt

1863-1937 (aged 74)

painter

Erik "Eero" Nikolai Järnefelt was a Finnish painter and art professor. He is best known for his portraits and landscapes of the area around Koli National Park, in the North Karelia region of Finland. He was a medal winner at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889 and 1900, taught art at the University of Helsinki and was chairman of the...

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87. Karita Mattila

1960-. (aged 66)

opera singer

Karita Marjatta Mattila is a Finnish operatic soprano.

88. Saara Aalto

1987-. (aged 39)

singer voice actor singer-songwriter

Saara Sofia Aalto is a Finnish singer, songwriter and voice actress. In 2012, she came second in the first season of The Voice of Finland.

89. Akseli Gallen-Kallela

1865-1931 (aged 66)

draftsperson printmaker painter architect illustrator

Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. His work is considered a very important aspect of the Finnish national identity. He finnicized his name from Gallén to Gallen-Kallela in 1907.

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90. Helene Schjerfbeck

1862-1946 (aged 84)

painter exlibrist

Helena Sofia Schjerfbeck ( pronounced [heˈleːn ˈʃæ̌rvbek]; July 10, 1862 – January 23, 1946) was a Finnish modernist painter known for her realist works and self-portraits, and also for her landscapes and still lifes. Throughout her long life her work changed dramatically, beginning with French-influenced realism and plein air painting. It gradually evolved towards portraits and still life paintings. At...

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91. Klaus Mäkelä

1996-. (aged 30)

conductor cellist

Klaus Mäkelä is a Finnish conductor and cellist. He is the chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, and music director of the Orchestre de Paris. Mäkelä is also chief conductor-designate of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and music director-designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

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92. Arja Saijonmaa

1944-. (aged 82)

actor singer

Arja Enni Helena Saijonmaa is a Finnish singer, political activist and occasional actress.

93. Esa-Pekka Salonen

1958-. (aged 68)

composer conductor

Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the principal conductor designate of Orchestre de Paris and creative director designate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is also conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 2020 to 2025.

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94. Albert Edelfelt

1854-1905 (aged 51)

painter illustrator graphic artist

Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt was a Finnish painter noted for his naturalistic style and Realist approach to art. He lived in the Grand Duchy of Finland and made Finnish culture visible abroad, before Finland gained independence. He was considered the greatest Finnish artist of the second half of 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, and one of...

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95. Jean Sibelius

1865-1957 (aged 92)

composer

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a stronger national identity when the country was struggling from several attempts at Russification in the late 19th century.

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96. Tove Jansson

1914-2001 (aged 87)

writer illustrator author exlibrist muralist

Tove Marika Jansson was a Finland-Swedish author, novelist and comic strip author. She was also a painter and illustrator. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Paris. She held her first solo art exhibition in 1943. Over the same period, she penned short stories and articles for publication, and subsequently drew...

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97. Tarja Turunen

1977-. (aged 49)

composer songwriter pianist opera singer

Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli, known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish.

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98. Paula Vesala

1981-. (aged 45)

lyricist film director songwriter actor poet

Paula Julia Vesala is a Finnish singer-songwriter. She was one of two singers and main lyricist in the pop rock duo PMMP along with Mira Luoti. Her solo career began in 2015 under the stage name Vesala. She has composed songs for other well-known Finnish artists such as Vesa-Matti Loiri, Jenni Vartiainen, and Antti Tuisku.

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99. Mari Kalkun

1986-. (aged 40)

singer songwriter

Mari Kalkun is an Estonian singer and musician who specializes in contemporary folk music. She has performed at home and abroad with the ensemble Runorum, releasing several recordings since 2007. In 2013, she was voted the best singer at Estonia's Ethno Music Awards. Her widely acclaimed 2018 album Ilmamõtsan consists of the songs inspired by Estonian traditional folk music, especially...

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100. Erkki Melartin

1875-1937 (aged 62)

exlibrist conductor composer

Erkki Gustaf Melartin was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most significant national Romantic composers, although his music—then and now—largely has been overshadowed by that of his contemporary, Jean Sibelius, the country's most famous composer. The core of Melartin's oeuvre consists of a set of...

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