Annastiina Tahkola
Mezzosoprano Annastiina Tahkola graduated with her Masters of Music from the Kuopio branch of Sibelius Academy in 1995. Two years later, she completed her diploma in voice. In 2007, she completed her Music Education degree from Savonia University of Applied Sciences. Tahkola has complemented her studies later under the guidance of Peter Lindroos and by participating in several master classes. She also plays piano and flute.
The repertoire of Annastiina Tahkola reaches from the music of ancient times all the way to first performances of contemporary music. She has been especially acknowledged for her strong interpretations and for her wide-ranging and multi-dimensional voice. Tahkola has performed in a number of Finnish festivals; from Lied concerts and church concerts to solo performances with choirs and orchestras. She has performed as soloist with the City Orchestras of Joensuu, Kemi, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Oulu and Turku as well as with the Sinfoniettas of Jyvaskyla, Kymi and Pori. Tahkola has also been involved with military bands, including Kaarti concerts. Worth mentioning might be the most recent performance at the Kirkko soikoon! Church Music Festival of 2012 and the first performance of Symphony 2 by Swiss contemporary composer T.Trachsel. Tahkola made her debut with the Finnish National Opera in 2010 in the role of Mrs Herring in Britten’s Albert Herring.Tahkola is a sought-after soloist in church music, and her repertoire includes J.S. Bach’s St.John’s and St.Matthew’s Passions, Christmas Oratorio, Easter Oratorio, Mass in B minor, numerous cantatas, Handel’s Messiah, Charpentier’s Te Deum, Pekka Kostiainen´s Requiem (2014) Mendellsohn´s Elias, Lauda Sion and Lobgesang, Mozart’s Requiem, Szymanovski’s Stabat Mater, Saint-Saën’s Christmas Oratorio, and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Tahkola has performed in her homeland Finland as well as in Estonia and Italy.
In 2007, Annastiina Tahkola won first prize in the I International Sibelius Singing Competition, which concentrates especially on the vocal music of Jean Sibelius. The same year, Tahkola won the culture award in Heinävesi Tahkola released a recording of Finnish vocal music called ‘Sineä ja kultaa’ with Nova Records in 2013 and a recording of Sibelius songs called “Jean Sibelius 150” with Jussi Makkonen and Nazig Azezian in 2015. Tahkola has worked in various teaching capacities including voice control instructor for choirs and teacher of master classes. From 2000 she has worked at Sibelius Academy as a singing teacher and taught from 2009-2012 at Savonia University of Applied Sciences. At present, Annastiina Tahkola works as a freelance musician.