BIO

Over the past decade, Finnish cellist Senja Rummukainen has evolved from a highly promising talent into one of the most compelling voices of her generation. Born in Helsinki in 1994, she began playing the cello in 2001 at the East Helsinki Music Institute, studying with Taru Aarnio. Her breakthrough came in 2014, when she won First Prize at the Turku National Cello Competition, establishing her as a rising star on the Finnish concert scene. The following year, she was a finalist in the Guilhermina Suggia Prize in Porto, and in 2019 she reached the finals of the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition in Saint Petersburg, winning 6th Prize.

Rummukainen has since appeared as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmônica de Bogotá, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, among others. She has collaborated with conductors such as Nicholas Collon, Dima Slobodeniouk, Leif Segerstam, Jonathon Heyward, and Jorma Panula.

A major highlight of the 2024/2025 season was her debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival, performing Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Salonen himself. Her performance received widespread critical acclaim:

“In an instant, one is captivated by the richly seasoned beauties in Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto. This is also because Senja Rummukainen understands how to make her instrument sing as expressively as a human voice.”
— Die Presse

“Senja Rummukainen proved to be a true virtuoso of the instrument, giving us moments of great beauty. She managed to convey that mix of ‘cosmic’ unease that Salonen introduces in his composition, but also the concentrated calm of some passages... The audience, moved by her performance, gave her a huge ovation when she took a solo bow.”
— Platea Magazine

Upcoming highlights in the 2025/2026 season include a tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and performances with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. A new cello concerto by Monnakgotla, commissioned specially for Rummukainen by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, will receive its world premiere. In the chamber music sphere, she will appear in special projects with Tarmo Peltokoski at Konzerthaus Dortmund and the Dresden Musikfestspiele.

As a chamber musician, Rummukainen is one of Finland’s most sought-after collaborators. She has been a cornerstone of major festivals such as Kuhmo Chamber Music, Turku Music Festival, and Oulu Music Festival, and served as artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Summer Festival from 2017 to 2021 alongside Johannes Piirto, Kasmir Uusitupa, Tami Pohjola, and Riina Piirilä. She has shared the stage with musicians such as Janine Jansen, Ilya Gringolts, and Augustin Hadelich, and regularly gives masterclasses such as at Cellofest Helsinki and Porvoo Cello Academy, where she was also a jury member in 2021 and 2024.

Her artistic formation has been shaped by some of Europe’s leading institutions and pedagogues. She studied at the Sibelius Academy under Prof. Marko Ylönen, earning her Bachelor of Music in 2017. She also studied at the Folkwang Universität der Künste with Prof. Young-Chang Cho, spent an exchange year with Prof. Truls Mørk at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and continued her advanced studies in Berlin with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the Universität der Künste, completing her Master of Music (2017– 2021) and continuing with a Konzertexamen thereafter.

Rummukainen describes her artistic goal as capturing the timbre that first drew her to the cello at the age of six — something “as smooth and sweet as a human voice.” Whether performing the intimate duets of Robert Schumann, the raw power of Shostakovich, or contemporary works such as Salonen’s concerto, her playing is marked by a rare depth and immediacy that speaks directly to the emotional core of the listener.

This emotional integrity was on full display during her much-anticipated BBC Proms debut in 2024 — a milestone performance that confirmed her place among the most captivating cellists of her generation. "She delivered Elgar's 'nobilmente' melody in the final movement with such poignant beauty that it was almost painful," wrote Susan Elkin, echoing the sentiments of an audience profoundly moved by her interpretation.

She currently performs on a David Tecchler cello from 1707, generously on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Woman in a light pink dress holding a cello standing in a wooded area with blooming branches.

Over the past decade, Finnish cellist Senja Rummukainen has evolved from a highly promising talent into one of the most compelling voices of her generation. Born in Helsinki in 1994, she began playing the cello in 2001 at the East Helsinki Music Institute, studying with Taru Aarnio and Allar Kaasik. Her breakthrough came in 2014, when she won First Prize at the Turku National Cello Competition, establishing her as a rising star on the Finnish concert scene. The following year, she was a finalist in the Guilhermina Suggia Prize in Porto, and in 2019 she reached the finals of the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition in Saint Petersburg, winning 6th Prize.
Rummukainen has since appeared as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmônica de Bogotá, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, among others. She has collaborated with conductors such as Nicholas Collon, Dima Slobodeniouk, Leif Segerstam, Jonathon Heyward, and Jorma Panula.
A major highlight of the 2024/2025 season was her debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival, performing Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Salonen himself. Her performance received widespread critical acclaim:
“In an instant, one is captivated by the richly seasoned beauties in Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto. This is also because Senja Rummukainen understands how to make her instrument sing as expressively as a human voice.”
— Die Presse
“Senja Rummukainen proved to be a true virtuoso of the instrument, giving us moments of great beauty. She managed to convey that mix of ‘cosmic’ unease that Salonen introduces in his composition, but also the concentrated calm of some passages... The audience, moved by her performance, gave her a huge ovation when she took a solo bow.”
— Platea Magazine
Upcoming highlights in the 2025/2026 season include a tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and performances with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. A new cello concerto by Monnakgotla, commissioned specially for Rummukainen by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, will receive its world premiere. In the chamber music sphere, she will appear in special projects with Tarmo Peltokoski at Konzerthaus Dortmund and the Dresden Musikfestspiele.
As a chamber musician, Rummukainen is one of Finland’s most sought-after collaborators. She has been a cornerstone of major festivals such as Kuhmo Chamber Music, Turku Music Festival, and Oulu Music Festival, and served as artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Summer Festival from 2017 to 2021 alongside Johannes Piirto, Kasmir Uusitupa, Tami Pohjola, and Riina Piirilä. She has shared the stage with musicians such as Janine Jansen, Ilya Gringolts, and Augustin Hadelich, and regularly gives masterclasses such as at Cellofest Helsinki and Porvoo Cello Academy, where she was also a jury member in 2021 and 2024.
Her artistic formation has been shaped by some of Europe’s leading institutions and pedagogues. She studied at the Sibelius Academy under Prof. Marko Ylönen, earning her Bachelor of Music in 2017. She also studied at the Folkwang Universität der Künste with Prof. Young-Chang Cho, spent an exchange year with Prof. Truls Mørk at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and continued her advanced studies in Berlin with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the Universität der Künste, completing her Master of Music (2017– 2021) and continuing with a Konzertexamen thereafter.
Rummukainen describes her artistic goal as capturing the timbre that first drew her to the cello at the age of six — something “as smooth and sweet as a human voice.” Whether performing the intimate duets of Robert Schumann, the raw power of Shostakovich, or contemporary works such as Salonen’s concerto, her playing is marked by a rare depth and immediacy that speaks directly to the emotional core of the listener.
This emotional integrity was on full display during her much-anticipated BBC Proms debut in 2024 — a milestone performance that confirmed her place among the most captivating cellists of her generation. "She delivered Elgar's 'nobilmente' melody in the final movement with such poignant beauty that it was almost painful," wrote Susan Elkin, echoing the sentiments of an audience profoundly moved by her interpretation.
She currently performs on a David Tecchler cello from 1707, generously on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Sellisti Senja Rummukainen on kuluneen vuosikymmenen aikana kasvanut sellon huippulupauksesta suomalaismuusikoiden kirkkaimpaan keskiöön. Kotimaisen konserttielämän tietoisuuteen hän nousi vuonna 2014 voittamalla Turun sellokilpailun. Vain vuotta myöhemmin hänet palkittiin finalistina Porton Guilhermina Suggia -awardsissa, ja vuonna 2019 hän saavutti finaalipaikan Pietarin kansainvälisessä Pjotr Tšaikovski -kilpailussa.
Menestystä seuranneita esiintymisiä esimerkiksi BBC Symphony Orchestran, Göteborgin Sinfoniaorkesterin, Islannin Sinfoniaorkesterin, Helsingin kaupunginorkesterin, Radion Sinfoniaorkesterin ja Tapiola Sinfoniettan, solistina ovat ylistäneet niin lehdistö, kollegat kuin yleisötkin.
Rummukainen on esiintynyt solistina muun muassa Sakari Oramon, Nicholas Collonin, Dima Slobodenioukin, Leif Segerstamin, Jonathon Heywardin ja Jorman Panulan johdolla. Vuodet 2017–2021 Rummukainen toimi Helsingin kaupunginorkesterin toisena soolosellistinä.
Kamarimuusikkona Rummukainen on Suomen suosituimpia. Hän kuuluu tärkeimpien kotimaisten festivaalien, kuten Kuhmon kamarimusiikin, Turun musiikkijuhlien ja Oulun musiikkijuhlien soitannolliseen selkärankaan. Helsingissä Rummukainen kuului Kamarikesä-festivaalin taiteellisiin johtajiin. Hän esiintyy ympäri Eurooppaa ja on soittanut mm. Janine Jansenin, Ilya Gringoltsin, Olli Mustosen ja Augustin Hadelichin kanssa.
Kaudella 2024–2025 Rummukainen debytoi mm. Clevelandin orkesterin, BBC Concert Orchestran, Royal Scottish National Orchestran ja BBC National Orchestra of Walesin ja Bogotán Sinfoniaorkesterin kanssa. Festivaalidebyytit hän tekee arvostetulla BBC Proms Festivaalilla soittamalla Elgarin sellokonserton Sakari Oramon ja BBC:n Sinfoniaorkesterin kanssa, sekä Salzburgin Pääsiäisfestivaalilla soittamalla Esa-Pekka Salosen sellokonserton yhdessä säveltäjän ja Radion sinfoniaorkesterin kanssa.
Opettajat ovat avanneet Rummukaiselle aina uuden oven musiikin loputtomiin mahdollisuuksiin. Opintonsa Rummukainen aloitti Taru Aarnion ja Allar Kaasikin luokilla. Sibelius-Akatemiassa Marko Ylösen johdolla hän oppi käsittelemään suuria linjoja ja isoja kokonaisuuksia. Norjan musiikkikorkeakoulussa Truls Mørkin luokalla ja Essenin Folkwang-yliopistossa Young-Chang Chon johdolla hän löysi oman, persoonallisen äänensä, ja Berliinin musiikkiyliopiston Jens Peter Maintzin avustuksella löytyi vielä yksi osa Rummukaisen työkalupakkiin: taito paneutua teoksen pienten yksityiskohtien kauneuteen mikroskooppisella tarkkuudella.
Rummukainen on pitänyt mestarikursseja mm. CelloFestissä Helsingissä ja Porvoon Selloakatemiassa sekä toiminut tuomariston jäsenenä Porvoon sellokilpailussa.
Rummukainen tavoittelee sellostaan samaa puhuttelevaa ja sävykästä sointia, johon hän itsekin ihastui kuullessaan soitinta ensimmäistä kertaa Itä-Helsingin musiikkiopistossa kuusivuotiaana. Sellaisella soinnilla voi ilmaista tunteita ja herättää niitä muissa jopa tarkemmin kuin sanoilla, koska juuri sello on kaikista instrumenteista lähimpänä ihmisen äänenväriä.
Soitti Rummukainen Robert Schumannin intiimejä duoja tai kamarillista konserttoa tai vaikka Dmitri Šostakovitšin konserttojen paikoin viiltäviä juoksutuksia, hänen syvälle kehoon tunkeutuva soittonsa löytää tiensä suoraan kuulijan tunnekeskukseen.
Rummukainen soittaa tällä hetkellä Suomen Kulttuurirahaston omistamaa David Tecchler-selloa vuodelta 1707.
Teksti: Jaani Länsiö
DANÍEL BJARNASON: Bow to String
ERNEST BLOCH: ”Schelomo” - Hebraic rhapsody for cello and orchestra B.39
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra op. 102
ANNA CLYNE: Dance
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Concerto for cello and orchestra in B Minor op. 104
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Silent woods for cello and orchestra
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Rondo
EDWARD ELGAR: Cello Concerto in E Minor op. 85
SEBASTIAN FAGERLUND: Silent words
CARLO GRAZIANI: Cello Concerto in C Major
JOSEPH HAYDN: Cello Concerto in C Major no. 1 Hob. VIIb/1
JOSEPH HAYDN: Cello Concerto in D Major no. 2 Hob. VIIb/2 op. 101
JACQUES IBERT: Concerto for cello and wind orchestra
JOONAS KOKKONEN: Cello Concerto
SALVATORE LANZETTI: Cello Concerto in D Major
JACQUES OFFENBACH: Les l’armes de Jacqueline
SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Sinfonia concertante in E Minor op. 125
OTTORINO RESPIGHI: Adagio von variazioni
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: Cello Concerto in A Minor no. 1 op. 33
AULIS SALLINEN: Nocturnal dances of Don Juanquijote op. 58
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN: Cello Concerto
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto in A Minor op. 129
DMITRI ŠOSTAKOVITŠ: Cello Concerto in E-Flat Major no. 1 op. 107
PJOTR TŠAIKOVSKI: Rococo variations op. 33
MIESCYSŁAW WEINBERG: Cello Concerto in D

BIO

English resumé

CV suomeksi

Concerto repertoire