Maria Männikkö is a pianist who loves worlds of possibilities. For her, playing is always a form of world-building, with narrative serving as an inner tool for shaping an interpretation. Männikkö received her Doctor of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2018. In her artistic research, she delved into Spanish piano music, with Enrique Granados as her guiding figure, while also exploring the role of narrative in musical interpretation. Before her doctoral studies, Männikkö completed the Konzertexamen postgraduate degree at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and earned a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy. Over the years, her teachers have included Jouko Planman, Rauno Jussila, Matti Raekallio and Aquiles delle Vigne. Männikkö has achieved success in international piano competitions, including First Prizes at the Ibla Grand Prize in Sicily in 2010 and the Bradshaw & Bueno competition in New York in 2007.

Maria Männikkö is a piano lecturer at the Turku Conservatory and performs as a soloist and chamber musician in Finland and abroad. She is known as a distinguished interpreter of Spanish piano music, with a repertoire that includes all of Granados’ major works. In 2014, Männikkö also gave the Finnish premiere of Granados’ Piano Concerto at the Helsinki Music Centre, conducted by José María Moreno. Spain continues to invite her to perform: most recently, in 2024, she appeared as a soloist with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra in Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos, together with Pauli Kari.

In her work as a teacher, Männikkö sees herself as a guide who opens up the world of music to children and young people – helping, inspiring, encouraging and accompanying them along the way. It is a great privilege! Pianist and composer Alma Meretoja is a former student of Männikkö, and the two will perform Meretoja’s piano concerto in the Ateljee Hall at Fuuga as part of the Turku Music Festival’s programme.