Ilona Jokinen

Ilona Jokinen (born 1981, Finland) is a Finnish soprano opera singer. Ilona Jokinen has been praised for her bright soprano, dazzling stage charisma, diverse vocal skills and versatile repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary music. She has won many prizes in Finnish national singing competitions and lied music competitions, such as first prize in Pentti Koskimies lied competition, third prizes at the Merikanto singing competition, and Toivo Kuula competition.

Ilona Jokinen studied opera under Pirkko Törnqvist-Paakkanen and Ritva Auvinen at Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland, which has ranked 7th in the world.^[1] She graduated with excellent grades in 2009. She continued her vocal studies with Tom Krause, and has attended master classes by Dorothy Irving, Sherrill Milnes, and Joan Dornemann, to mention a few. Prior, she earned her Bachelor's Degree in singing pedagogy at the Helsinki Polytechnic.

Ilona Jokinen has held prominent roles at Savonlinna Opera Festival, Finnish National Opera, and other venues. She has performed as Fransquita (Bizet: Carmen), Vera (Kortekangas: Daddy's Girl), Thyra (Hakola: Vieriva kivi), Young Shepherd (Wagner: Tannhauser), and Susanna (Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro) to mention a few.^[2][3]

Jokinen's experience has taken her from Finland and to international venues. She has performed with many main orchestras and choirs in Finland, such as Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Cantores Minores and Tallinn Baroque Orchestra. Lied is well represented in Ilona Jokinen’s concert repertoire. Recently, Jokinen has performed at Organ Night and Aria Festival in Espoo, Finland, and at the final concert at Helsinki Organ Festival. In addition to her homeland, she has sung recitals in Japan, Ireland, Spain, and will debut in the United States in 2016.

References

External links

• Ilona Jokinen Official Website
• Sibelius Academy Website