New viola professor at Zurich University of the Arts

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Finnish violist Lilli Maijala has been named professor of viola at the Zurich University of the Arts. She will start the role in autumn 2023. Maijala also currently heads the viola faculty at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where she began a professorship in 2009. In a social media post, the Swiss school said: ’We are delighted to welcome Lilli Maijala to the ZHdK viola team.’

As a soloist, Maijala has appeared with orchestras such as the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Lahti and Camerata Salzburg. An interest in new music has seen her premiere new viola concertos as well as perform in the experimental quartet-lab with violinists Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Pekka Kuusisto and cellist Pieter Wispelwey. She is also a member of the Valo Quartet. 

Maijala completed her studies at the Sibelius Academy, Hochschule für Musik Detmold and the Edsberg Chamber Music Institute with teachers such as Teemu Kupiainen, Diemut Poppen and Lars Anders Tomter. In competitions, she took home first prize at the Klassik Festival Ruhr viola competition, second prize at the Nordic Viola Competition and special prizes at the ARD Competition Munich and Tokyo International Viola Competition. 

Maijala plays on a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume viola on loan by the Finnish Cultural Foundating, as well as a baroque viola.