SOPRANO

Finnish-Spanish soprano Iris Candelaria made her operatic debut at the Finnish National Opera as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. She has since performed at the National Opera and at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in several roles.

Success in competitions has been an important stepping stone in her career: she won the Timo Mustakallio Competition in 2019 and was awarded first prize and the audience prize at the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2023. In 2025, she received the prestigious Grand Prize of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in recognition of her work.

BASSOON

Vertti Tapanainen is a bassoonist and freelance musician who has been working as a member of the orchestra of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet since January 2023. Prior to that, he worked as a freelancer with several Finnish city orchestras, including those of Jyväskylä, Tampere, Helsinki and Oulu.

Tapanainen is also known as a versatile chamber musician. He has performed in various chamber music ensembles, particularly wind ensembles.

PIANO, VIOLA, TROMBONE

A family of musicians!
Marko Hilpo, familiar from last summer’s Larufest, is one of Finland’s most versatile pianists and also works as a conductor and arranger. An award-winner in international competitions, he has performed around the world.

Violist Barbora Hilpo has achieved success in several competitions and has performed across Europe and the United States. As a soloist, she has appeared with ensembles such as Solisti di Praga and the Pardubice Philharmonic Orchestra.

Their 14 year-old daughter Miriam Hilpo plays the trombone.

PIANO

Pianist Ilmo Ranta is among the most sought-after lied pianists in Finland. He has given solo and chamber music concerts and has also appeared as an orchestral soloist in Finland.

He has performed lied recitals with artists such as Karita Mattila and Jorma Hynninen in several European countries and the United States, and has appeared as a chamber musician, for example with Trio Tapiola. Ranta has premiered a substantial number of Finnish works for piano and chamber ensembles.

PIANO

Pianist Julia Elomaa (b. 2007) has studied at the Turku Conservatory and the Youth Piano Academy. She has participated in several international masterclasses and worked with renowned pianists such as Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Angela Hewitt.

Elomaa has achieved success in numerous national and international piano competitions. In 2025, she won the “Young Artists” category at the Nordic Junior Piano Competition and the senior category at the London International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists.

Elomaa has appeared as a soloist with, among others, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Aura Sinfonia and Camerata Vihti, and has performed widely in Finland and abroad.

Susanne Rull – flute
Soniya Rakhmatullina – oboe
Selina Lauha – clarinet
Patrick Mauer – bassoon
Max Howling – french horn

Vilma Tikkanen – violin
Maria Emeltchenko – violin
Ellen Herler – viola
Selja Hakamies – cello