Artist Profile

Cellist Sirja Nironen is a soloist, chamber musician, and internationally sought-after principal cellist. Contemporary music lies close to her heart, and she has premiered numerous cello concertos as well as recorded extensively contemporary music, jazz, and video game music. In 2025, Sirja served as co–artistic director of the Kaivos Festival, together with dancer–choreographer Katariina Vähäkallio and film director Niko Väistö. In spring 2026, she will premiere Ballast, a cello concerto by Ville Aslak Raasakka.

As a soloist, Sirja has appeared with ensembles including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Oulu Sinfonia, and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has performed at major festivals such as the Helsinki Festival, the Amsterdam Cello Biennale, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. As a principal cellist, she has performed with the Royal Opera of Wallonia, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Avanti! Chamber Orchestra among others.

Beyond music, Sirja's life is enriched by the anarchic satire of Charles Bukowski, strength training, sauna and ice swimming, improvisation, vintage aesthetics, dark roasted coffee, spicy food, and delightfully unruly people.

Updated January 16, 2026

Biography 

Cellist Sirja Nironen is a soloist, chamber musician, and internationally sought-after principal cellist. Contemporary music lies close to her heart, and she has premiered numerous cello concertos as well as recorded extensively contemporary music, jazz, and video game music. 

She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Oulu Symphony Orchestra, and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, and as principal cellist with the Royal Opera of Wallonia, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, among others. From 2020 to 2024, she served as Sub-Principal Cellist of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

Nironen studied at institutions including the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki under renowned mentors Frans Helmerson, Arto Noras, and Martti Rousi, following early training with Taru Aarnio and Hannu Kiiski.

A dedicated advocate of new music, she has premiered several cello concertos, including Primal by Matilda Seppälä and Die Welt – ein Tor by Sauli Zinovjev, and will premiere Ballast, a new concerto by Ville Raasakka in spring 2026.

As a chamber musician, Nironen has performed at international festivals including the Helsinki Festival, Musical Chairs Festival (Montreal), Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Amsterdam Cello Biennale, Tampere Biennale, Naantali Music Festival, and the Korsholm Music Festival. In 2025 she served as artistic director of the Kaivos Festival alongside choreographer Katariina Vähäkallio and filmmaker Niko Väistö.

Nironen is a prizewinner of the Turku Cello Competition and the Rome Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition. Her discography includes releases on Alba Records, Game Music Collective, Eclipse Music, Siba Records, and WhyPlayJazz, and she has recorded for the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.

Her work has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the Music Promotion Foundation, Pro Musica, Pro Orchestra, the Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the Wegelius Foundation, the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, and numerous private sponsors.