OP Financial Group
Press Release
12 February 2016
The violins owned by the OP Art Foundation, a Charles Gaillard violin from 1867 and a Leonhard Maussiell viola from 1722, have received new holders for the next two years. Leena Jaakkola received the Gaillard violin and Riina Piirilä the Maussiell viola. The instruments were handed over on Friday, 12 February by Tony Vepsäläinen, a member of the Art Foundation and Vice Chairman of OP Financial Group Executive Board.
Leena Jaakkola (b.1987) began playing the violin at the age of 6 at Kerava Music Institute. She graduated with honours in 2014 with a Master's in Music from the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland. In spring 2016, she will also graduate with a Master's from the class of Petri Aarnio at the Sibelius Academy. She also completed a further qualification at Zurich University of the Arts as a student of Professor Rudolf Koelman. She has participated in international competitions and won 2nd place at the Kiwanis Chamber Music Competition in Switzerland with her piano trio. In the autumn of 2014, Leena took up a permanent post as a violinist with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.
Riina Piirilä (b. 1995) began playing the viola at the age of 6 at Nurmijärvi Music Institute. In the autumn of 2011, Piirilä began studying in the Youth Department of the Sibelius Academy as a student of Helge Valtonen and, since 2015, her studies have continued in the Sibelius Academy's Department of Solo Performance under Lilli Maijala. Riina Piirilä is an active chamber musician, who plays with Kasmir Uusitupa, Tami Pohjola and Senja Rummukainen in the Borea Quartet founded in 2011. In the summer of 2015, Piirilä debuted as a young musician at Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival.
The OP Art Foundation has been supporting music as a performing art since 1987 by lending its highly-valued instruments to young and talented musicians. The selection of musicians is based not only on their previous achievements but also their challenging future plans. The collection includes five violins, two violas and three cellos. The Foundation's instruments give young people the opportunity to advance their career through the aid of a unique instrument.
Instruments of the OP Art Foundation and their holders:
Antonio Stradivarius violin (1702), Kasmir Uusitupa.
Carlo Antonio Testore violin (1730), Jukka Untamala.
Charles Gaillard violin (1867), Leena Jaakkola.
Pierre & Hippolyte Silvestre violin (1843), Hanna Parviainen.
Ferdinandus Gagliano violin (1767), Terhi Paldanius.
Leonhard Maussiell viola (1722), Riina Piirilä.
Joannes Florenus Guidantus viola (1737), Jussi Tuhkanen.
Giovanni Grancino cello (1698), Joona Pulkkinen.
Nicholas Lupot cello (1795), Lauri Kankkunen.
John Terry cello (1989), Inka Saavalainen.
For more information, please contact:
Tuire Jäkkö, Executive Officer, OP Art Foundation, tel. +358 10 252 2202 or tuire.jakko@op.fi
OP Financial Group is Finland's leading financial services group providing a unique range of banking, wealth management and insurance services. OP Financial Group's mission is to promote the sustainable prosperity, security and wellbeing of its owner-customers, customers and operating regions through its local presence. Its objective is to offer the best and most versatile package of loyal customer benefits on the market. OP Financial Group consists of about 180 member cooperative banks, its central cooperative OP Cooperative, and the latter's subsidiaries and affiliates. The Group has a staff of 12,000 and 4.3 million customers.