Artist Profile

Finnish cellist Sirja Nironen (b. 1992) studied under renowned mentors such as Frans Helmerson and Arto Noras at institutions including Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin and Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki.

Nironen has had the pleasure to premiere chamber and solo works including cello concerti by Ville Raasakka, Sauli Zinovjev, Matilda Seppälä, Peter Häublein and Elisar Riddelin. 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, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Oulu Symphony and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra among others.

In 2024 and 2025 Nironen served as the co-artistic director of the Kaivos Festival, a contemporary arts event in Outokumpu, Finland. 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 has visited as a solo cellist in orchestras such as the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony & Opera Orchestra, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Vantaa Pops Orchestra, Kymi Sinfonietta and Pori Sinfonietta. She held a position of Sub-Principal Cellist in Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra from 2020 to 2024 and regularly substitutes in several orchestras and ensembles. Nironen is a prize winner of the Turku Cello Competition 2018, the Rome Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition 2017 and Finnish chamber music competitions.

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.