Sini Simonen, violin

The Finnish violinist Sini Simonen enjoys an active international career as a chamber musician and soloist. She is the first violinist of the Castalian String Quartet, performing at the finest chamber music series worldwide. Upcoming performances in the 2021-22 season include debut recitals at the Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. 

Simonen has won top prizes in several major international violin competitions including the Flesch, Lipizer and Cremona competitions. She has also won prizes in the Brahms, Lyon, ARD, Banff and Citta di Pinerolo chamber music competitions.

She studied in Sibelius Academy, Musikhochschule Hannover and Musik-Akademie Basel with Lara Lev and Rainer Schmidt among others. Masterclasses and collaborations with Ferenc Rados, Gerhard Schulz, Sir Andras Schiff, Miriam Fried, and Ursula Smith provided important influences.

She has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras including Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Göttingen Symphony Orchestra and Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Her cd recordings as a soloist include Bach’s double violin concerto with Helsinki Strings (Warner) and Vivaldi’s concerto for 3 violins (tacet).

Her chamber music partners have included Ferenc Rados, Robert Levin, Midori and Steven Isserlis.