Baritone AARNE PELKONEN is known as the winner of the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2013 and the international Sibelius Singing Competition in 2015. He studied voice with Marjut Hannula at the Sibelius Academy, with Professor Thomas Quasthoff in Berlin and on several masterclasses given by teachers such as Thomas Hampson and Barbara Bonney.

From 2015 to 2017, Pelkonen was engaged as a soloist at the Oldenburg Opera, where he appeared as Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, as Donner in Wagner’s Rheingold and as Pallante in Handel’s Agrippina. He made his début at the Finnish National Opera in 2019, performing the lead role in the opera Jää [Ice] by Jaakko Kuusisto. His collaboration with pianist Juho Alakärppä over more than 10 years has earned the duo recognition in Finland and several prizes in international competitions.

Pelkonen has performed with the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Tapiola Sinfonietta and is also known for numerous appearances on TV, radio and social media. His discography includes the solo albums Virsi (Hymn, 2013), Taivas sylissäni (Heaven in my arms, 2018) and Haavekuvia (Dream images, 2019) and the Christmas album of the YL Male Voice Choir, Maa on niin kaunis (Beauty around us, 2017). He has also recorded solo songs by Johannes Brahms and Jean Sibelius for the Finnish Broadcasting Company.