Artist Profile
Sirja Nironen is a cellist whose work spans contemporary music, solo and chamber performance, and orchestral projects. She has premiered several cello concertos and recorded widely in contemporary music, jazz, and game music. In 2025, she served as artistic director of the Kaivos Festival together with dancer-choreographer Katariina Vähäkallio and filmmaker Niko Väistö. In spring 2026, she will premiere Ballast, a new cello concerto by Ville Raasakka.
Sirja has appeared as principal cellist with orchestras including the Royal Opera of Wallonia, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and Trondheim Symphony and Opera Orchestra. She has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Oulu Symphony Orchestra, and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, and at festivals and concert series including the Helsinki Festival, Amsterdam Cello Biennale, and Santa Fé Chamber Music Festival.
Beyond music, Sirja's life is enriched by the anarchic satire of Charles Bukowski, the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Milan Kundera, strength training, sauna and ice swimming, improvisation, vintage aesthetics, dark roasted coffee, spicy food, and delightfully unruly people.
Updated December 18, 2025
Biography
Sirja Nironen is a versatile cellist who thrives both as a soloist and in a wide range of ensembles. She has worked as principal cellist with orchestras such as the Royal Opera of Wallonia, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and Trondheim Symphony and Opera Orchestra. In 2025 she served as the musical curator of the Kaivos Festival, alongside choreographer Katariina Vähäkallio and film director Niko Väistö.
Nironen has had the pleasure to premiere chamber and solo works including cello concerti by Matilda Seppälä, Elisar Riddelin and Sauli Zinovjev. She has performed at the inaugural concert of the Helsinki Music Center, and as a soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Oulu Symphony and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra among others. As a chamber musician she has participated in festivals such as the Helsinki Festival, the Musical Chairs Festival in Montreal, the Santa Fé Chamber Music Festival, the Amsterdam Cello Biennale, the Tampere Biennale, the Naantali Music Festival and the Korsholm Music Festival to name a few.
Nironen held a position of Sub-Principal Cellist in Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra from 2020 to 2024 before transitioning to focus on roles as a solo cellist, soloist, chamber musician and artistic director. She is a prize winner of the Turku Cello Competition 2018, the Rome Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition 2017 and Finnish chamber music competitions.
Nironen studied under renowned mentors such as Frans Helmerson, Arto Noras and Martti Rousi in institutions including Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin and Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Nironen's early teachers were Taru Aarnio and Hannu Kiiski. She has participated masterclasses by Lynn Harrell, Natalia Gutman and Jean-Guihen Queyras to mention a few.
Nironen plays a significant role in releases "Avanti! - Lotta Wennäkoski ZENG" (Alba Records, 2023), "Restart - Finnish Game Music Revised" (Game Music Collective, 2023) "Mikko Sarvanne Garden - Heräämisen valkea myrsky" (Eclipse Music, 2022), "Lucy Abrams - Duel" (Siba Records, 2022), "Uuno Klami's chamber music" (Alba Records, 2020), "Double Identity - Simon Kanzler" (WhyPlayJazz, 2016), "Quartphonic EPK - Elena Mindru Third Stream Project" (EM Records, 2016), "Vita Brevis, Ars Longa" (2012, Naantali Music Festival). In 2019 cellist Sirja Nironen with Naoko Ichihashi on piano, recorded works by Scriabin, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky for the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.
Nironen has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish Arts Promotion Center, the Music Promotion Foundation, Pro Musica, Pro Orchestra, the Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the Wegelius Foundation, the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Pro Orchestra, and numerous private sponsors.
updated 6.12.2025