Marko Ylönen

Finnish cellist Marko Ylönen has proven himself to be one of the most versatile cellists of his generation, regularly appearing as a soloist, orchestral player and principal, string quartet member, freelance player in duos and trios, as well as a teacher. He has also been a winner and prize recipient in major competitions and is a prolific recording artist. Ylönen’s repertory is exceedingly broad, taking in a range of works by C.P.E. Bach, Boccherini, Vivaldi, Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Piazzolla, and contemporary Finnish composers like Einojuhani Rautavaara, Joonas Kokkonen, Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Jouni Kaipainen, Ralf Gothóni, Olli Mustonen, and many others. Ylönen has performed throughout Europe, the U.S., Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand. He has recorded for several labels, including Ondine, Finlandia, ALBA and BIS. His Bach Suites for solo cello was released in spring 2019 for ALBA.

In 1990 he was awarded 2nd prize at the Turku Scandinavian Cello Competition and later that year he was a finalist and a prizewinner in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1996 he won the first prize at the Concert Artist Guild Competition in New York.

He performs regularly as a soloist with all the major Finnish orchestras, and has also played with leading orchestras such as Camerata Salzburg, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Netherlands Chamber orchestra. Among the conductors he has worked with are Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Juha Kangas, John Storgårds, Sakari Oramo, Okko Kamu, Mosche Atzmon, Alexander Vedernikov, Heinrich Schiff, Ben Wallfish, Susanna Mälkki, Olli Mustonen, Hannu Lintu and Klaus Mäkelä. 

He has given recitals in many major halls such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York and Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal in Amsterdam

As chamber musician, Marko Ylönen has played in various ensembles with many of the world’s leading musicians. He was invited to be Artistic Director of the Korsholm Music Festival in 2003, 2008 and 2010-12, and of the Luosto Classic Festival in Finnish Lapland in 2014-2017. From autumn 2009 Mr. Ylönen is engaged as Professor of Chamber Music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

Marko Ylönen has studied with Csaba Szilvay, Erkki Rautio,  Heikki Rautasalo and Heinrich Schiff. He plays a Bartolomeo Cristofori cello from the 1720´s.