Piia
Rytkönen
soprano
Biography
Praised for her natural expression and sparkling timbre of her voice, Finnish soprano Piia Rytkönen is a requested singer both in her home country Finland as well as in Austria, where she is currently based. Her concert repertoire includes everything from opera to lied as well as modern music.
In spring 2021 she sang the main role in F. Suppe's Die Schöne Galathée and Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro in Graz (MUMUTH), Austria and in autumn 2021 she sang the role of "Elli" in world premiere of Petri Herranen's Kaukaisiin Maailmoihin in Iisalmi, Oulu and Kiiminki.
Former opera roles which Rytkönen has performed fully on the stage include Constance in F. Poulenc' s Les Dialogues des Carmelites (Graz, MUMUTH), Nerina in J. Haydn' s La Fedelta Premiata (Graz, MUMUTH) and Frau Fluth in O. Nicolai's Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Graz, KUG) as well as Clarice in J. Haydn' s Il Mondo della Luna (Tampere, TAMK).
Rytkönen has received a Special Prize at the Helsinki Lied! 2015 competition and has reached the finals in both Timo Mustakallio competition 2015 and Kangasniemi singing competition 2019.
Rytkönen has sung as a soloist with Finnish symphony orchestras such as Tamko, Tahdistin and Ylä-Savo Symphony Orchestra and is a regular member of the contemporary music ensemble Tampering Ensemble, which focuses on performing new music by young composers. In April 2022, Rytkönen sang in Mozartsaal of Wiener Konzarthaus with Philharmony Lugansk.
In the past year Rytkönen has sang as a soloist in Dvorak's D-major mass in Kuopio, in the modern opera Köpfe by G. Lampersberg in Graz, at the Young Nordic Music Festival 2020 with Tampering Ensemble in Tampere, at a Fundraising Dinner in Belvedere, Vienna and in Urkuyö ja Aaria festival in Espoo, only to name a few. In the summer 2021 she was engaged to the Bayreuth Festival Choir.
Rytkönen completed her bachelor's degree at Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Finland under instruction of Petri Antikainen. She obtained her master's degree in October 2021 from the opera class of the University of Performing Arts Graz, Austria under the instruction of Prof. Helena Zubanovich. She is also currently completing her second masters in singing at the Sibelius Academy. She has moreover gathered inspiration at master classes around Europe with teachers such as Irina Gavrilovici, Helen and Claus Donath, Ritva-Liisa Korhonen, Hartmut Höll, Mikko Franck, Rilla Kyykkä and different pioneers at the Lied Academy of Finland.
From March 2022 on she is engaged to the Vienna State Opera Choir.
Her career has been supported by Pohjois-Savo Cultural Foundation, Olvi-säätiö and Ylä-Savon säätiö.
Repertoire
Opera and musical
Haydn, Joseph
La Fedelta Premiata, Nerina
Il Mondo della Luna, Clarice
Lampersberg, Gerhard
Köpfe,
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Le Nozze di Figaro, Susanna
Nicolai, Otto
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Frau Fluth
Poulenc, Francis
Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Constance
Suppé, Franz von
Die Schöne Galathée, Galathée
Concert repertoire
Bach, Johann Sebastian
Johannes-Passion
Britten, Benjamin
On This Island
Dvorák, Antonín
D-Major Messe
Grieg, Edvard
Op. 48
Händel, Georg Friedrich
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Requiem
Poulenc, Franz
Le Courte Paille
Rutter, John
Magnificat
Saariaho, Kaija
Leino Songs
Schumann, Clara
op. 12, op. 13
Calendar
2022
Äitienpäivän kahvikonsertti
Villa Kiven kirjailijatalon juhlatilassa
Mother's day concert organized by Gigli society
Piia Rytkönen, soprano
Tuomas Miettola, tenor
Jari Hiekkapelto, piano
At 3:30 PM
Linnunlauluntie 7, Helsinki
Read more >>
Wiener Konzerthaus, Mozarsaal at 6:30 PM
Music of Kurt Schmid with Lugansk Philharmonic Orchestra -
Jubilee Concert in honor of Kurt Schimd's 80th anniversary
Soprano solist in F. Schubert's Mass in G major, D 167 in Stift Vorau, Austria
2021
Christmas Concert at Spa Hotel Runni, Iisalmi
Piia Rytkönen, soprano
Tuomas Miettola, tenor
Jari Hiekkapelto, piano
Petri Herranen's world premiere of "Kaukaisiin Maailmoihin".
Based on Juhani Aho's "Papin rouva".
Sanna Huhtela - Dramaturgy, Pictures, Lyrics, Director
Piia Rytkönen - Elli
Timo Turunto - Olavi
Rauno Tikkanen - Conductor
Ulla-Maija Aaltomaa - Narrator
Iisalmi Culture Center
Petri Herranen's "Papin Rouva".
Based on Juhani Aho's book "Papin rouva".
Sanna Huhtela - Dramaturgy, Pictures, Lyrics, Director
Petri Herranen, piano
Piia Rytkönen - Elli
Timo Turunto - Olavi
Ulla-Maija Aaltomaa - Narrator
Oulun vanha pappila
"Iisalmi 130" Gala Concert in Culture Center, Iisalmi.
Orchestra by Ylä-Savo Music Institute (Rauno Tikkanen)
Emma Balbatsu
Piia Rytkönen
Tuomas Miettola
Timo Turonto
Ulmala youth association dancers
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Piia Rytkönen, sopran, Veli-Pekka Varpula, tenor, Erkki Korhonen, piano
Organ night & Aria Festival, Espoo
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A concert version of Le Nozze di Figaro can be seen live trough this link on the 5th of June at 19 PM (CET)
Conductor (KUG orchestra): Raphael Fusco
Conte: Stefan Jovanovic
Contessa: Belén Alonso Alonso
Susanna: Piia Rytkönen
Figaro: Yichen Gao
Cherubino: Sara Setar
Marcellina: Dayana Aksamit
Bartolo: Martin Simonowski
Basilio: Hamin Park
Barbarina: Juhee Kang
Antonio: Lovro Kotnik
Don Curzio: Dmitry Kaplinski
Due Donne Juhee Kang, Saba Hasanoglu
Read more >>
Concert reviews
"Her technically fluent work had that feisty expression and bright sounding soprano notes that the role of Clarice requires."
"Especially the two sopranos Ivana Ristic and Piia Rytkönen performed their highly difficult roles admirably and brilliantly"
"Soulfully beautiful soprano of Piia Rytkönen floated like “lux aeterna†to the cognition of the listeners"
"I liked her performance because of its musical touch; that singer has something to say."
Contact
p.+358 505281092
rytkonenpiia @ gmail.com