Bio
Linnea Hurttia is a distinguished concert violinist with a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy and the University of Music, Drama, and Media Hannover. She won the 1st prize at the International H. Eller Violin Competition and has performed multiple times as a soloist with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, the City Orchestras of Lappeenranta and Hyvinkää and Sigyn Sinfonietta. Her performances have taken her to renowned venues, including the Wiener Musikverein, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Palau de la Música of Barcelona and the Helsinki Music Centre.
Linnea has studied with esteemed teachers such as Araik Resjan, Seppo Tukiainen and Ulf Schneider, and through masterclasses with leading musicians like Ilja Grubert, Zakhar Bron, Marco Rizzi, Gerhard Schultz, Philippe Koch, Shlomo Mintz, Philippe Graffin, Boris Garlitsky, Mihaela Martin, Vera Beths and Pavel Vernikov. Linnea studied chamber music extensively with Ralf Gothoni and Eldar Nebolsin at the International Institute of Chamber Music of Madrid, and she as well performed at masterclasses of Alban Berg Quartett, Juilliard Quartett and Engegård Quartett. Lately Linnea Hurttia has studied historical violin instruments with Susanne Scholz at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
She is the co-founder of the String Duo Kleio with her husband, violist Ivan Podyachev, and has appeared at festivals worldwide, including Schwetzinger Festival in Germany, Turku Music Festival and Avanti! Summer Sounds in Finland, and the Xiquitsi Festival in Mozambique, where she also led a masterclass. Since 2021, Linnea has been a key member of the artistic committee for the Lieto Chamber Music Days in Finland.
As a versatile musician, Linnea has premiered several new works, including Sampsa Ertamo’s Riddle (commissioned by the String duo Kleio, 2019) and Jüri Reinvere’s Piano Quartet (2015). Her playing was also heard in the Finnish Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. Additionally, Linnea frequently performs with period instruments, collaborating with early music ensembles, such as Bach Consort Wien and Ensemble Gamma Ut. From 2021 to 2023, she participated in a research project, funded by the City of Graz and the State of Styria, focused on reconstructing a Renaissance dance collection by the Hess brothers.
Linnea worked as concertmaster of the Lappeenranta City Orchestra and Saimaa Sinfonietta in Finland (2016-2021) and now holds a permanent position with the Kärntner Sinfonieorchester in Klagenfurt, Austria. She has been awarded grants by many Finnish foundation, such as Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Concerts and events
21
Feb 16
Tour in Japan
Solo and Chamber Music
I play often as a soloist of orchestra, for example the concertos of Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn. Also the Vivaldi Seasons I have performed multiple times, lastly in May 2024.
Chamber music I play with pleasure and in various settings. The String duo Kleio, founded with my husband, violist Ivan Podyachev, has given concerts all around Europe already 14 years. We commission pieces and make own arrangements in order to widen the repertoire for this combination of instruments. With pianists Valeria Resjan and Davorin Dolinšek I have performed multiple times in Finland and for example in Slovenia during the festivities of 160th anniversary of the birth of composer Hugo Wolf.
I also regularly play in the chamber music concerts of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt.
Kärntner Sinfonieorchester
Since 2022 I’m a permanent member of the Kärntner Sinfonieorchester in Klagenfurt, Austria. We are based at the beautiful theater of Klagenfurt, where we play operas, ballets, operettas and musicals. In addition to that we perform monthly symphonic program at the Klagenfurt concert hall and music festivals.
More information and exact program can be found at the webpage of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt.
We have also a very active support association of the orchestra, that is sharing fun information about us and our work, and organises events for kids for example. Feel free to follow us, or think about supporting!
Early music
I play historical violin instruments and collaborate in early music ensembles, such as Bach Consort Wien and Ensemble Gamma Ut.
Research has been an important part of my activity on this field, and 2023 I finished, as a part of a research group, a project funded by the City of Graz and State Styria reconstructing a Renaissance dance collection by Hess brothers. At the moment I collaborate in a research project “The restored speech” about the Freiberg violin instruments.
I have held recital lectures for example during Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference 2023 in Munich.
For children
In addition to the concerts and activities for children at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, we play often with the String duo Kleio at schools and kindergartens.
I have also written a few musical fairy tales for children. “Taika-avaimet”, “Magic Keys” for three string players was premiered in 2016 in Lappeenranta, and further performed during the tenth anniversary of the city of Turku’s year as the European Capital of Culture in 2021.
“Katariinan karvalakki” “Catherine’s fur hat” is a musical theater piece for a renaissance violinist, which introduces the children the life of a little princess at the Wawel castle in the 16th century. This piece I premiered 2023 during the exhibition “Princess’s Journey” in Turku castle.