KRISTIANS SALINEN
Photo: Heikki Tuuli
BIOGRAPHY
Kristian Sallinen (b. 2001) is a Finnish conductor and violist. Sallinen studies orchestra conducting in the Sibelius Academy's conducting class as a student of professor Sakari Oramo. Sallinen began his studies under the guidance of Professor Jorma Panula, and has also received instruction from e.g. from conductors Colin Metters, Susanna Mälkki, Hannu Lintu, Nicolás Pasquet, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
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In connection with master courses, Sallinen has led e.g. Vaasa and Kuopio city orchestras, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Oulu Sinfonia, Central Ostrobothnia Chamber Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Sinfonietta. Sallinen will make his debut in the spring of 2022 with the chamber orchestra Avanti, and in the fall of 2022 he will make his conducting debut in e.g. with the Helsinki City Orchestra and Sinfonia Lahti.
Kristian Sallinen started playing the violin at the age of five at Espoo's music college. The main instrument changed to the viola in 2013. Between 2015 and 2020, Sallinen studied at the youth education of the Sibelius Academy, first with Teemu Kupiainen, and later with Lilli Maijala. In the viola master classes, he has been taught by e.g. Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, Yuval Gotlibovich and Hariolf Schlichtig.
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Sallinen achieved 3rd place in the national viola competition in Tampere in 2017, and received the Vilho ja Lahja Koposen Foundation's prize for "young and talented participant". He also won the award for the best performance of a commissioned piece composed for the competition, and made the piece a staple for Yleisradio in 2018.
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Kristian Sallinen is a distinguished chamber musician and a member of the Seele quartet. He has performed at several festivals around Europe, as well as played in e.g. As a soloist of the Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Mikkeli City Orchestra. He was the Young Artist of the Hauho music festival in 2018. Salline's studies have been supported by e.g. The Wegelius Foundation, the Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Music Foundation and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. In 2017, he was awarded the Pro Musica recognition award.
Kristian Sallinen plays a Mantegazza viola from the 18th century owned by the Sibelius Academy.