Curriculum Vitae

The Finnish pianist Kati Eriikka Arikoski (b.1979) has all her life been closely linked to the music. As a 3 year old was her very first hobby Finnish folk dancing. The dance was complemented by piano studies at the Kuopio Conservatory in Finland as 6 years old. A side instruments, she played clarinet and sopransaxofone for 10 years. When she reached music high school in Kuopio, she began to box. As a 16 year old she started to compete and participated regularly in competitions winning many awards. In 1999 she won the Finnish championship in boxing in 60 kg class. At that point she stood at a crossroads to be a boxer or a pianist – she chose the piano.

Since 1999, she studied in the Turku Art Academy in Finland and graduated as a piano teacher in the spring 2005 from the class of the head teacher Jukka Juvonen. In spring 2008 she graduated with a masters degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen from the class of professor Niklas Sivelöv.

Arikoski played her debut concert from soloist line in march 2011 and continued the advanced postgraduate diploma programme with her ensemble Piano Trio Gimelia. Ensemble played debut concert spring 2012.

Arikoski undertook her studies at the Music University of Graz between 2001 and 2003. She has also frequently participated in master courses, both in Finland and abroad. Her teachers have included Matti Raekallio, Erik T. Tawaststjerna, José Ribera, Pierre Réach, Emanuel Krasovsky and Liisa Pohjola, et al.

She has given a number of solo concerts, has been a member of various chamber music ensembles and worked as lied pianist in Finland, Sweden, USA, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, Island and Austria. She also performed with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2004, at the Concert for Young Soloists and played as a soloist with the Sigyn Sinfonietta in autumn 2006.

Arikoski won 3rd prize at the National Leevi Madetoja Piano Competition in Oulu, January of 2006. She was also awarded a special prize for the best performance, a recital, which was held at a music festival, “Music in Paanu Church” in Kärsämäki, the summer of 2006. In june 2008 she won joint first prize at the piano competition and became second place with her piano trio in chamber music competition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

Life is not just about playing the piano. Sports and dance have always had a big role in Kati’s life. She has danced swing regularly since 2007 and currently teaches both swing dances and piano in Atlanta, USA.