Juho Pohjonen — Piano

Juho Pohjonen is a highly acclaimed Finnish pianist whose exceptional artistry and unique musical voice have captivated audiences worldwide. He has earned international recognition through performances across Europe, Asia, and North America, distinguished by versatility as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Deeply connected to his Scandinavian roots, his repertoire frequently highlights the works of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, and Jean Sibelius.

In the 2024/25 season, Mr. Pohjonen performs Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Vinay Parameswaran and appears at Wigmore Hall with violinist Stephan Waarts and cellist Jonathan Swensen. He returns to Finland for the Lux Musicae Festival and continues his long-standing collaboration with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with performances at Lincoln Center and on tour throughout the United States, including engagements with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Recent highlights include Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Strings with Erin Keefe and the Kymi Sinfonietta under Osmo Vänskä, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė, and chamber appearances at the Macula Musica Series in Helsinki, Festspiele Südtirol, Amsterdam Chamber Festival, and the Surrey Hills International Music Festival. In the U.S., he has toured extensively with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing at Alice Tully Hall and in cities across the country.

As a soloist, Mr. Pohjonen has appeared with leading orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Danish National Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Marek Janowski, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, and Pinchas Zukerman.

Recital appearances have taken him to major venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Hamburg, Antwerp, and Helsinki, with festival appearances at Lucerne, Savonlinna, Bergen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Mostly Mozart.

Mr. Pohjonen’s discography includes Visionaries of the Keyboard (Orchid Records), pairing works by Rameau and Scriabin; Poltera plays Prokofiev with cellist Christian Poltéra; Rooms of Elsinore by Brett Dean; and Plateaux (Dacapo Records), featuring music by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the Sibelius Trio, he released a centennial recording on Yarlung Records, praised by Stereophile as “a gorgeous debut.”

Born in Finland, Mr. Pohjonen began studies at the Sibelius Academy with Meri Louhos before completing a master’s degree with Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna. In 2009, he was awarded the Klavier Festival Ruhr Scholarship by Sir András Schiff and later continued postgraduate studies at the Kronberg Academy. He has received numerous honors in both Finnish and international competitions.

In addition to his performing career, Mr. Pohjonen is the creator of MyPianist, an AI-powered iOS app providing interactive piano accompaniment for musicians worldwide. Designed and programmed by Pohjonen himself, the app has been hailed as a groundbreaking tool for practice and performance.