Photo: Maarit Kytöharju

Pasi Pirinen

Trumpeter Pasi Pirinen is Professor of Brass Instruments at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and Principal Trumpet of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prior to joining the Helsinki Philharmonic Pirinen served a Principal Trumpet of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. His very first orchestral engagements were as Principal Trumpet of the Córdoba Symphony and of the San Luis Chamber Orchestra in Argentina.

Pirinen started his instrumental studies in his hometown of Tornio in northern Finland and later attended the junior department of Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He studied under Prof. John Miller at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and private studies later took him to Michael Sachs in Cleveland, US and to Antoine Curé in Paris.

In 1998 Pirinen won 1st Prize in the ITG Ellsworth Smith Trumpet Competition in the US and in 1987 2nd Prize in the Concertino Praga Competition. He was chosen ’Brass Player of the Year’ by the Lieksa Brass Festival in Finland in 1999.

Pirinen frequently teaches masterclasses in the worlds major music institutions and has served as a member of jury in several international trumpet competitions including Theo Charlier in Brussels, Città di Porcia in Italy, Aeolus in Düsseldorf and the ITG competitions.

Pirinen has appeared as guest Principal Trumpet with a wide range of orchestras, notably with groups such as Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and also on period instruments with the Finnish Baroque Orchestra.

As an active soloist Pirinen has played first performances of many contemporary works, including concertos by composers Erik Bergman, Jouni Kaipainen, Harri Wessman and Anthony Plog. Notable performances in the contemporary genre also include the trumpet concerto by Peter Maxwell-Davies, Requiem by Hans Werner Henze and Luciano Berio´s Sequenza X.

Pirinen´s first solo album ”Heptade” was released in 2001. An album of trumpet concertos by Haydn, Kaipainen and Tomasi with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Hannu Lintu was released in 2014 on the Alba label.

Pirinen has appeared as soloist under conductors such as Sakari Oramo, Okko Kamu, Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Gennadi Roshdestvensky, John Storgårds, Hannu Lintu, Roberto Minchzuk and Grant Llewellyn.

Pasi Pirinen is a Yamaha Artist.