Risto T.T. Pulkkinen: Curriculum vitae

born 26.7.1954 Sievi

Education

- Music school of Central Ostrobothnia, teacher Kauko Laukkonen.

- Sibelius Academy from 1973 to 1976, master's degree in percussion.

- Royal Northern College of Music Manchester England, teachers Ian Wright and Heather Corbert.

- Other teachers Rainer Kuisma, Michael Rosen (USA) and John Blade (England).

- First to graduate with a master's degree in percussion from the Sibelius Academy in 1983.
 

Professional Career

- Pori City Orchestra, principal percussionist, 1977-1979.

- Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, sub-principal of Percussion, 1979-1917.

- Teacher (at Pori Music Institute and Turku Conservatory / University of Applied Sciences,) until 2008. A significant number of former students currently play in various professional orchestras.

- Performed as a soloist and played solo recitals. Collaboration with e.g. Pori Symphony Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic, music camps, Turku Ensemble, Turku Chamber Orchestra Dux, Youth Orchestra Vivo and others.

- Can be heard on over 30 recordings.

     
Kroustikon

- Over 30-year-old percussion group founded and conducted by Risto Pulkkinen.

- Performs a lot of new Finnish and international percussion music. Many premieres.

-Performed at the Viitasaari Time of Music Festival in 1998 and 2001. The group was invited to perform at the world's largest percussion event Percussion Pasic 98 (Orlando Florida, USA).

- Mikko Heiniƶ's seventh piano concerto Khora premiered and played 12 times in 2001 with Kroustikon and Dance Theater ERI.

- In 2002, Khora was performed at the Kromata / Kroustikon joint concert and in 2003 at the Musicanova Festival in Helsinki as well as at the Turku Music Festival where Tan Dun's Concerto for Cello and Percussion “Snow in June” was also performed.

- A CD, Sigyn-Percussion, was released in 1999.

 

Compositions

- Compositions include method-books, solo works, chamber music and orchestral works.

- Compositional style is based on pulsativity that relies on strong harmony and melodies.

- Nowadays he concentrates on composing chamber music and orchestral works.

- Opus numbers 1-52 contain approximately a couple of hundred works, most of them have been premiered and are frequently performed at concerts both in Finland and abroad.