On October 20 and 21, a joint concert of European Capitals of Culture 2011 - Tallinn and Turku took place in Turku Concert Hall. The concert introduced Estonian music with works Tabula Rasa (1977) for two violins, prepared piano and string orchestra by Arvo Pärt, and Symphōnē (1998) for strings and percussion by Lepo Sumera, W. A. Mozart's Symphony No. 40 was performed as well. Turku Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by orchestra’s chief guest conductor Juha Kangas, Estonian violinist Harry Traksmann and Juha-Pekka Vikman, the concertmaster of Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, appeared as soloists.
The introduction of Estonian music started under Juha Kangas’s leadership in Turku Concert Hall already in February, when Erkki-Sven Tüür's work Lighthouse (1997) for string orchestra was performed.
Harry Traksmann (left) and Juha-Pekka Vikman (right), photo by Seilo Ristimäki
Violinist Harry Traksmann began violin studies at the Tallinn Music High School and went on to study at the Estonian Academy of Music in 1992. In 1996, Harry Traksmann gained a diploma at the Heino Eller International Violin Competition in Tallinn. Harry Traksmann is a wide-ranging musician performing often as a soloist or chamber player, focusing especially on newer Estonian chamber music. Since 1997, Traksmann is concertmaster at the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. In the same year he founded ensemble New Tallinn Trio, which also includes cellist Kaido Kelder and pianist Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann, and which has been promoting Estonian contemporary chamber music at concerts in Europe and the United States.
Juha-Pekka Vikman, the concertmaster of Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, studied violin at the Turku Conservatoire and Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Tuomas Haapanen. Vikman appears often as a chamber musician or orchestra soloist in Finland as well as abroad. He has also worked as concertmaster with Opera Festival Orchestra of Savonlinna, Tapiola Sinfonietta and Finnish Chamber Orchestra. Juha-Pekka Vikman is known as an active and wide-ranging musician, founder of Turku Ensemble and the first violinist of string quartet Aboa.
Additional info: Turku Philharmonic Orchestra