Finnish violinist Sini Simonen enjoys an active international career as a chamber musician and soloist. She was the leader of the Castalian String Quartet, whose performances included recitals at the Carnegie Hall, Washington Library of Congress, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The quartet held the position of Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at Oxford University.

Sini studied at the Sibelius Academy, Musikhochschule Hannover and Musik-Akademie Basel with Lara Lev and Rainer Schmidt among others. Masterclasses and collaborations with Ferenc Rados, Gerhard Schulz and Sir Andras Schiff provided important influences.

From 2013 to 2017, she was a violinist of Esbjerg Ensemble, one of Denmark’s oldest chamber groups. The ensemble is comprised of a string quartet, wind quintet and percussion, and it is known for its innovative programmes combining contemporary and classical works.

Collaborations with composers are a vital part of her musical life. Recent and upcoming commissions and premieres include working with Charlotte Bray, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Thomas Larcher and Anna Clyne.

Simonen has won top prizes in international competitions including the Flesch, Lipizer and Cremona violin competitions and the Brahms, Lyon, ARD and Banff chamber music competitions. Her recordings include Bach’s double violin concerto with Helsinki Strings (Warner), Vivaldi’s concerto for 3 violins (tacet) and an award winning album featuring quartets by Beethoven, Adès and her own arrangements of renaissance music (Delphian).

Simonen is a professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music.

Sin Q&As

* What ignited the Chamber Music spark for you?

I've always played chamber music, I think my first group was a piano trio at the age of 7! But the proper spark was ignited when I witnessed a group working on Dutilleux's string quartet "Ainsi la nuit" as a student. Complex gestures and sounds were formed together as if guided by an invisible hand, a wordless understanding was flowing between the players that felt almost inexplicable. It was like liquid magic in the air, and I wanted to be a part of it.

* Drive/motivation/what keeps you wanting to play music?

Connection, to myself and others.

There is nothing that connects my hands, heart and head in the way playing music does. There is no more direct pathway between souls that crosses all superficial differences than playing music together.

* Famous person you'd most like to collaborate with? (dead or alive)

Tove Jansson (creator of moomins), George Balanchine (choreographer)

or Carl Jung (father of Jungian psychology)