Elina Vähälä, one of Finland’s most internationally renowned violinists, became inspired to play the violin as a child after watching the TV program Viuluviikarit. When she received her own violin from her grandmother, the familiar sounds, legatos, and vibratos from the show became a personal reality. Since then, her career path has been clear.
Vähälä has earned her reputation as a captivating and exceptionally versatile musician through her wide-ranging repertoire, spanning music from the Baroque period to contemporary works, including premieres by prominent modern composers.
Recently, Vähälä has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. She is also a familiar soloist with orchestras across Finland. Chamber music is Vähälä’s passionate love, and she has appeared at numerous festivals both in Finland and abroad.
Alongside her performing career, Vähälä serves as a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and as the artistic director of the Naantali Music Festival. She plays a violin built by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1780.