JUSSI SALONEN

Biography

Baroque tenor, evangelist and interpreter of early music tenor Jussi Salonen has performed as a soloist and has been in demand for the important role of Evangelist in Bach’s Passions. His interpretation of the Evangelist part of the St John’s Passion has been widely praised for its expressive power by critics and the general public alike. His rich, colorful, softly lyrical tenor voice has also been heard in early music ensembles in Germany, Holland, Belgium and elsewhere. In Finland, he has been a soloist with various City Orchestras, the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and Ensemble Nylandia.

Since 2015 Salonen has performed as a guest soloist with the Finnish National Opera and has also appeared in stage roles at the Svenska Teater in Turku, the Madetoja Hall in Oulu and in opera performances at the Berlin nightclub Zum wilden Renate. His roles have included Don Ottavio (Mozart’s Magic Flute), Yaryzhkin (Shostakovich’s The Nose), Ullrich Eißlinger (Wagner’s The Master Singers), Peter Quint (Britten’s The Turn of the Screw) and Lucano (Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea).

Jussi Salonen holds a Master of Music degree in both church music and opera singing, both from the Sibelius Academy. He has also studied at McGill University in Montreal with Professor Stefano Algieri (voice), Michael McMahon (lied), Julian Wachner (interpretation) and Patrick Hansen (stage work). He perfected his vocal technique under the guidance of Sami Kustaloglu when living in Berlin. He won third prize at the last tenor competition in Lohja in 2009.

Photo Gallery

“The St. Matthew Passion had an excellent Evangelist in the clear-voiced and focused tenor Jussi Salonen, who had mastered the German declamation of Schütz with skill and expressiveness. In the bright acoustics of Meilahti Church, every German word was clearly audible, each one shaded with its own affective color and rhythmic accent. Salonen succeeded in maintaining the narrative tension of the Passion.”
– Hannu-Ilari Lampila, Helsingin Sanomat

“In the St. John Passion, the Evangelist – the narrator who drives the plot forward through recitatives – plays a central role. Jussi Salonen fulfilled this role excellently: expressively, vividly, and with enthusiasm, in smooth collaboration with organist Laura Vihreäpuu.”
– Antti Juvonen, Karjalainen