"...finely attuned and vividly responsive string orchestra of crack Finnish players"
-The Independent-

 

Virtuosi di Kuhmo was founded in 1992 to continue the traditions of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival’s orchestra. At present, Virtuosi di Kuhmo is an independent ensemble with its own organization and artistic planning. Orchestra members range from musicians in top-rated Finnish orchestras to artists pursuing international careers. Besides being a regular performer at the leading Finnish music festivals, Virtuosi di Kuhmo has also toured extensively; in addition to the largest countries in Europe, the orchestra has given performances in Russia and Japan. London’s Wigmore Hall and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam are among the more renowned concert halls the orchestra has visited. Virtuosi di Kuhmo has also performed at well-known international festivals such as “Festival Pablo Casals”, “La Roque d’Anthéron”, and “la Folle Journée” in France, and “Rheingau Music Festival”, one of the largest music festivals in Germany, in 2004.

Virtuosi di Kuhmo’s seven recordings for Ondine, EMI/Blue Note and CPO have all received critical acclaim in both the national and international press. The orchestra’s albums have also been chosen as “records of the month” in British magazines and American radio stations. The recordings of Vivaldi´s Four Seasons” (Pekka Kuusisto, (vln/dir.), and “Kaanaanmaa - Land of Canaan” (Jukka Perko sax./John Storgårds dir.) have both reached gold album status in Finland.

Violinist-conductor Peter Csaba has been Virtuosi di Kuhmo’s focal artistic collaborator from the beginning. Founder of the orchestra, he has conducted a great deal of Virtuosi di Kuhmo’s concerts and recordings.

In addition to Peter Csaba, Virtuosi di Kuhmo has been conducted by, among others, Ralf Gothóni,Olli Mustonen, Sakari Oramo, Hansjörg Schellenberger, and John Storgårds. Most recently, Okko Kamu has been appearing in front of Virtuosi more and more often.

Lately Virtuosi di Kuhmo has been performing also without a conductor, mostly concertmaster Elina Vähälä as a leader. Also guest leaders, such as Pekka Kuusisto and Jan Söderblom have been working with the orchestra.

During the years, Virtuosi di Kuhmo has worked with several renowned artists, such as Lisa Batiashvili, James Crabb, Nelson Freire, Martin Fröst, Bruno Giuranna, Natalia Gutman, Aleksei Lyubimov, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Daniel Müller-Schott, and Pieter Wispelwey.

14.September 2008