Kati Rantamäki

I violin

I am from Lahti. As a child, my hobbies included the violin, figure skating and gymnastics, but I particularly enjoyed knitting. I knit my first sweater at the age of nine and made a lot of them subsequently. I was thinking about crafts as a profession, but as I entered upper secondary school, the violin took the upper hand.

While still at school, I saw a newspaper article about the new City Orchestra being established in Espoo. I spent nine years studying the violin at the Sibelius Academy and in Rotterdam, and towards the end of my studies, in 1995, I got my first job with the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera. A few years later, I was hired to play violin with the Tapiola Sinfonietta.

I enjoy playing music from various eras in diverse ensembles from the small to the very large. I am particularly partial to compelling, emotional music.

I do not know of anything better than trekking! Hiking and outdoor cooking are things my family enjoys doing together. Clean air, silence and an absence of urgency balance our busy everyday lives wonderfully.