Juho Pohjonen

Juho Pohjonen is a highly acclaimed Finnish pianist who has captivated audiences worldwide with his exceptional talent and unique musical expression. He has garnered international acclaim for his performances across Europe, Asia, and North America. His versatile artistry is evident in appearances with symphony orchestras, in recital, and through chamber music collaborations. Across these settings, his repertoire frequently highlights works by acclaimed Finnish composers such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, and Jean Sibelius, reflecting his deep affinity for Scandinavian music.

This season Pohjonen performs alongside his regular chamber music partners including with violinist Stephen Waarts in Florence and Amsterdam, and with pianist Wu Qian returning to the Surrey Hills International Music Festival and in Portugal. In North America, he continues his long-standing relationship with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing at the Lincoln Center and venues across the United States and returns to Malboro Music Festival in the summer.

Last season, Pohjonen performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Vinay Parameswaran, and appeared at the Wigmore Hall with violinist Stephen Waarts and cellist Jonathan Swensen. In Finland, he took part in the Lux Musicae Festival, and returned to North America for performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Juho Pohjonen has performed as soloist with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the BBC Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Danish National Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. He has collaborated with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Marek Janowski, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä and Pinchas Zukerman, and recently performed Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Giedrė Šlekytė and Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Strings with violinist Erin Keefe and the Kymi Sinfonietta conducted by Osmo Vänskä.

On the recital stage, Pohjonen has performed throughout Europe, including in Antwerp, Hamburg, Helsinki, London’s Wigmore Hall, St. Petersburg and Warsaw. In North America he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and in Philadelphia, San Francisco, La Jolla, Detroit, and Vancouver. His festival appearances include Lucerne, Savonlinna, Bergen, Mecklenberg-Vorpommern, and the Mostly Mozart Festival, as well as the Macula Musica series in Helsinki, Festspiele Südtirol, Amsterdam Chamber Festival and the Surrey Hills International Music Festival. He has also toured extensively in the United States with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing in Grand Rapids, Virginia, Florida, and at Alice Tully Hall.

Juho Pohjonen’s recordings showcase the breadth and depth of his musicianship. His recently released album on Orchid Records, “Visionaries of the Keyboard”, features works by Rameau and Scriabin. This album highlights Pohjonen’s ability to navigate the complex, emotive landscapes of Rameau’s baroque elegance and Scriabin’s modernist mysticism. Additionally, Pohjonen featured on two other albums released last season: “Poltera plays Prokofiev” with cellist Christian Poltéra,” where he and cellist Christian Poltéra perform Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata in C major and Brett Dean’s “Rooms of Elsinore,” where Pohjonen’s collaboration brings a fresh perspective to Dean’s evocative and atmospheric work. Plateaux, his debut recording on Dacapo Records, featured works by late Scandinavian composer Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, including the solo piano suite For Piano, and piano concerto Plateaux pour Piano et Orchestre, with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ed Spanjaard. Pohjonen joins violinist Petteri Iivonen and cellist Samuli Peltonen to form the Sibelius Trio, who released a recording on Yarlung Records in honour of Finland’s 1917 centennial of independence. The album, described by Stereophile as “a gorgeous debut”, included works by Sibelius and Saariaho.

Pohjonen’s studies began at the Junior Academy of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in 1989, under the guidance of Meri Louhos. He continued his education at the Sibelius Academy, earning his Master’s Degree in 2008 under the tutelage of Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna. In 2009, he was selected by Sir András Schiff as the winner of the Klavier Festival Ruhr Scholarship. Pohjonen is also an alumnus of the prestigious Kronberg Academy and has garnered prizes at both international and Finnish competitions.

Pohjonen launched MyPianist in 2019, an AI-based iOS app that provides interactive piano accompaniment to musicians everywhere. Designed and programmed by Pohjonen himself and infused with his keen musical sensibility, MyPianist acts as a “virtual pianist” for musicians looking to hone their skills or learn new material. MyPianist carefully “listens” to the musician’s playing and recreates the piano part in real time, matching the timing and nuances of the live performance.

Artist website: https://mypianist.app

Promoters please note: We update our biographies regularly and ask that they are not altered without permission. For updated versions, please e-mail: Isabella Hopkins