Noora Van Dok

Noora Van Dok

Noora Van Dok (née Kärnä) made the best decision of her life when she was 13 and switched from the piano to the bassoon as her main instrument. Her vocational studies took her to the conservatory in Oulu and then the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. When she was an exchange student at the Mannheim University of Music in Germany, her contrabassoon teacher Stephan Krings introduced her to its deep and mysterious tones and she was hooked! Three years later she was auditioned and is now principal contrabassoonist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Besides music, Van Dok enjoys the countryside and kayaking whilst gazing towards the horizon. Winter swimming and slogging it out at the gym keep her fit and alert. But she has her vices too – she and her husband like going to beer festivals around Europe!

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