Corvallis-OSU Piano International: Juho Pohjonen

• Juho Pohjonen, piano

Edvard Grieg — Ballade in G minor, Op. 24
Maurice Ravel — Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55
Frédéric Chopin — Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
Frédéric Chopin — Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
Frédéric Chopin — Ballade in A-flat major, Op. 47, No. 3
Frédéric Chopin — Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

Juho Pohjonen is regarded as one of today's most exciting and unique instrumentalists. The Finnish pianist performs widely in Europe, Asia, and North America, collaborating with symphony orchestras and playing in recital and chamber settings. An ardent exponent of Scandinavian music, Pohjonen's growing discography offers a showcase of music by Finnish compatriots such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, and Jean Sibelius.

This season, Pohjonen makes his debut in Taiwan with the National Symphony Orchestra and also joins the musicians of the orchestra for chamber music. He performs Finnish composer Sauli Zinovjev's new piano concerto with the Lahti Sinfonia as part of a composer focus and joins the German Radio Philharmonic and Pietari Inkinen for Bartok's first Piano Concerto. Chamber highlights include a concert at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, New York with Chamber Music Society, and recitals in Helsinki, amongst others.

Last season saw Pohjonen perform Daniel Bjarnason's Concerto for Piano Processions with the Helsinki Philharmonic and the composer on the podium, having previously performed it with Tapiola Sinfonietta. Other orchestral highlights included performances of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Rune Bergmann and the Colorado Symphony as well as performances of Mendelssohn’s concerto for violin, piano and strings, beside Erin Keefe, Maestro Osmo Vänskä, and the Minnesota Orchestra, and Chopin's second Piano Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic. Continuing his long-standing relationship with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS), Pohjonen performed at Alice Tully Hall on two separate occasions featuring works by Stravinsky, Debussy, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn. Additional chamber projects included a performance at Parlance Chamber Concerts with Danbi Um and Paul Huang, and Cliburn Concerts with Danbi and Karim Sulayman.

About Corvallis-OSU Piano International

Building a culture of piano in Corvallis – through performance, outreach, and education, we broaden the appreciation and celebration of piano music in our community.

https://corvallispiano.org/

About Juho Pohjonen, piano

http://www.juhopohjonen.com/