Sini Simonen
Professor of Violin (Strings), Chamber Musician in Residence (Ensemble Piano)
Finnish violinist Sini Simonen enjoys a varied international career as a chamber musician and soloist
Sini is the leader of the Castalian String Quartet, having performed at Carnegie Hall, Washington Library of Congress, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and the Wigmore Hall. The quartet holds the position of Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at Oxford University. She is a regular at festivals including OCM Prussia Cove, Kuhmo and Aldeburgh.
She has won top prizes in several major international violin competitions including the Flesch, Lipizer and Cremona competitions. She has also won prizes in the Brahms, Lyon, ARD and Banff chamber music competitions. Her recordings include Bach’s double violin concerto with Helsinki Strings (Warner), Vivaldi’s concerto for 3 violins (tacet) and an award winning album featuring quartets by Beethoven, Adès and her own arrangements of renaissance music (Delphian).
Simonen studied at the Sibelius Academy, Musikhochschule Hannover and Musik-Akademie Basel with Lara Lev and Rainer Schmidt among others. Collaborations with Ferenc Rados, Stephen Hough, Steven Isserlis and Midori provided important influences.
Working with composers is a vital part of her musical life. Recent and upcoming commissions and premieres include working with Charlotte Bray, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Thomas Larcher, Edmund Finnis and Francesco Antonioni.