EarlyMusicNews.org

"Essi Iso-Oja (Ellonen) holds a Master's degree in the harp performance from Sibelius Academy and the additional studies of history at The University of Tampere. She has over twenty-years experience as an orchestral and chamber music harpist with the major Finnish orchestras (for example Lahti Symphony Orchestra) and with the various ensembles ranging from Early Music to the Contemporary field. She has also given lectures about the harp music in Finland as well as composed and arranged music for the harp.

During the recent years Essi has focused in Early Music and the historical pedal harp (the single action harp) by playing and researching the instrument and its original repertoire. She owns currently five harps, among them is a Louis XVI harp by Beat Wolf, built after historical models (Naderman, Cousineau).

You can hear Essi's harp also in the numerous film soundtracks, like the awarded documents Mechanical Love (dir. Phie Ambo 2007), Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman (dir. Jennifer Fox 2006) and Along the Road Little Child (dir. Virpi Suutari & Susanna Helke 2005).

Essi Iso-Oja is a member of the Historical Harp Society, the Finnish Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and a founding member of the Finnish Harp Society. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Category: Ensembles/Performers/Associations/Societies / Strings

Added on: Apr 18, 2008 | Hits: 816