Pulkkinen, Risto

Risto Pulkkinen

Biography

Born: July 26, 1954

Country: Sievi, Finland

Studies: Sibelius Academy, Helsinki (1983)

Teachers:

Website: http://www.ristopulkkinen.com/

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Education

• Music school of Central Ostrobothnia, teacher Kauko Laukkonen
• Sibelius Academy from 1973 to 1976, master's degree in percussion
• Royal Northern College of Music Manchester England, teachers Ian Wright and Heather Corbert
• Other teachers Rainer Kuisma, Michael Rosen (USA) and John Blade (England)
• First to graduate as diploma percussionist from the Sibelius Academy in 1983

Career

• Pori symphony orchestra, Principal percussionist from 1977-1979
• Turku philharmonic orchestra, Associate Principal percussionist from 1979 till present
• Teacher in Pori music school, Turku conservatory and Turku Arts Academy up till 2008, a considerable amount of former students play in various professional orchestras
• Performed as soloist and in chamber/solo concerts with Pori Sinfonietta, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Turku Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra Dux, youth orchestra Vivo, music summer camps
• Played on more than 20 recordings

Kroustikon

• Risto Pulkkinen is the founder and conductor of Kroustikon, a percussion group that has been active for over 20 years
• Performs contemporary Finnish percussion music and has premiered several works
• Performed at the Viitasaari Musiikin aika -festival in 1998 and was invited the same year to play at the biggest percussion festival in the world, Pasic 98 (Orlando, USA)
• Piano concerto No. 7 by Mikko Heiniö was premiered and played 12 times in collaboration with dance theater ERI in 2001
• Khora was reperformed in a concert held together with the percussion group Kroumata in 2002 and at the Musicanova festival in Helsinki in 2003. At the Turku music festival it was performed in a concert that also showcased Tan Dun's Snow in June, Concerto for Cello and Percussion
• The CD Sigyn-Percussion was released in 1999

Compositions

• Includes methods, solo pieces, chamber music and orchestral works
• Stylistically mainly based on pulsative harmony and strong melody
• Currently focused on composing large-scale works for orchestra
• Most of the works (at present over one hundred) have been premiered and often played in concerts in Finland and abroad

Works for Percussion

Aurora, op.16 - Vibraphone/Marimba; Piano
Blizzard, op.9 - Percussion Quintet
Chimes, op.4 - Percussion Quintet
Chistian's Lullaby and Nicholas's Lullaby - Vibraphone
Collection - Percussion Duo; Mallets
Fuga for Marimba in C Major, op.2, n.3 - Marimba
Fuga for Marimba in D Minor, op.2 - Marimba
Introduction and Allegro, op.12 - Vibraphone; Harp
Invention for Marimba in G Minor, op.2, n.2 - Marimba
Mignon, op.1 - Marimba
Orion, op.11 - Percussion Quintet
Snarery, op. 24 - Snare Drum
SΣkkijΣrven Polkka, op.17 - Marimba Ensemble; Percussion Quintet; Mallets
Twelve Concert Etudes, op. 20 - Vibraphone/Marimba; Piano
Two Dialogues for Two Marimbas, op.21 - Percussion Duo; Marimba Duo
Variety, op.5 - Percussion Quintet