Czech musicians will perform at a concert in Helsinki on 28 March 2025
20.03.2025 / 19:42 | Aktualizováno: 01.04.2025 / 12:24
(This article expired 01.04.2025 / 12:30.)
Pianist Esa Ylönen and Czech musicians: violinist Štěpán Graffe, violist Miroslav Kovář and violoncellist Michal Hreňo will perform at a concert held on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Erkki Melartin.
The concert will take place at Villa Hakasalmi (Mannerheimintie 13 B, Helsinki) on Friday 28 March 2025 at 6 pm.
The concert programme consists of chamber music works by Finnish composers who studied in Erkki Melartin´s composition class at the Helsinki Music Institute in 1924 (Uuno Klami, Helvi Leiviskä, Yrjö Gunaropulos, Onni Lampén, Sulho Ranta). Esa Ylönen will host the concert and images of the concert´s composers and 1920s Helsinki will be shown as background visualisations.
Admission to the concert is free. The programme costs 10 EUR.
The event is organized by the Erkki Melartin Society and is part of the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Erkki Melartin.
The concert is supported by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Helsinki.
More information can be found on the website of the Erkki Melartin Society
Esa Ylönen studied the piano at the Sibelius Academy. He is a versatile musician: soloist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist, theatre musician, repetiteur, arranger and composer. He has given solo recitals, appeared in chamber ensembles and with orchestras in Finland and abroad. Ylönen has released world-premiere recordings of music by Uuno Klami on the Alba records label, and Fennica Gehrman has published his editions of music by Klami and Sibelius. Every summer he works as a pianist on Janáček–Martinů Festival in Turnov. Ylönen has co-operated a lot with Czech musicians and made many concert tours in Czechia.
Štěpán Graffe, a graduate of the Brno Conservatory and Janáček Academy of Performing Arts, has been the first violinist of the Graffe Quartet since 1997, performing in Czechia and abroad, including venues like Prague’s Rudolfinum and Spivey Hall in Atlanta and at important music festivals (e.g. at the Prague Spring). He is the artistic director of the Ars Collegium chamber orchestra and regularly appears as a soloist in Czechia and abroad with this ensemble. He frequently performs in the violin duo Duo Lyrico with his wife Magdalena. He also serves as a jury member for prestigious violin competitions.
Miroslav Kovář studied viola at the Brno Conservatory in addition to violin. In 1990 he received the Prix Espace 2 with his quartet in Evian, France. Kovář worked with the Brno National Theatre Orchestra and the Brno Philharmonic, but today he devotes himself to chamber music. Since 1986 he has been the violist of the Wallinger Quartet, that has given hundreds of concerts in Czechia and abroad. He has taught viola and chamber music at the Brno Conservatory for over 30 years and has also served as a judge at music competitions.
Michal Hreňo studied at the Conservatory and at the Faculty of Education of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice and at Janáček Academy of Performing Arts. He performs as a soloist and member of chamber ensembles. He has won awards at numerous competitions (e.g. International Violoncello Competition in Liezen in Austria, ACT London). As a soloist he has performed with the South Bohemian Philharmonic or North Bohemian Philharmonic. Since 2005, he has been a member of the cello section of the Brno Philharmonic. He has been also the chairman of the Artistic Council of the Brno Philharmonic and the director of Primary School of Arts. He has been a member of the Graffe Quartet since 2002.